Blowing Shofar – Tekias Shofar

Timing

Rulings about Blowing Shofar are based on the Mishna Berura reflecting Ashkenazi practice.

• The Shofar is blown during the daytime, as the passuk says ‘yom teruah’, it is a ‘day’ of Shofar blowing. It should preferably be blown after netz hachama – sunrise – though if it was blown after ‘alos hashachar’ – dawn – one has fulfilled the mitzva.
• One should ensure to have fulfilled the mitzva by shkia – sunset; one who has not done so should still ensure to hear the shofar before nightfall, though without making a bracha.
• In practice, we wait to blow the first 30 blasts of the shofar until after Shacharis and Krias HaTorah and then blow the next 30 during Mussaf. This is to reflect the fact that there used to be a decree against Jews blowing Shofar, so they waited until later in the day to do the mitzva, by which time the authorities would have stopped spying on them and assumed they were indeed not going to do the mitzva (SA 588:1, MB1).
• See our page exploring the number of Shofar blasts blown as well as Halachos relating to the Ba’al Tokeia

Standing by the Bimah

• Standing: The Ba’al Tokeia should stand for the brachos on the blowing of the Shofar and the blowing itself. He should not, therefore, lean on the bima in such a way that if it were removed, he would fall. The congregation also stand for the brachos and the blowing of the Shofar (SA 585:1, MB1, 2).
• By the Bima: Tekias Shofar is done standing by the Bima, to invoke the merit of Torah (MB 585:3).

Brachos on the Shofar Blowing

• Brachos: The Ba’al Tokeia says the brachos of ‘Lishmoa kol Shofar’ and ‘Shehecheyanu’. The first bracha is worded as ‘to hear the sound of the shofar’ as the mitzva is to hear – if one blows the shofar but doesn’t hear its sound one does not fulfil the mitzva (SA 585:2, MB4, R 600:3).
• Making brachos for other men: If the Ba’al Tokeia has already fulfilled his mitzva and is blowing for other men, he may make these two brachos for them. Nonetheless, when they are able to, it would be preferable for each person to make the bracha themselves – and if there is a minyan present, one person should make the bracha for all of them. (Rema 585:2, MB5, SHT 15)
• When blowing for women: Whilst Ashkenazi practice is for women to make a bracha on time-bound mitzvos, as strictly speaking they are exempt from the mitzva of shofar, the ba’al tokeia may not make the bracha for an audience comprised entirely of women unless he himself has not yet fulfilled the mitzva. Therefore, the women should make the bracha for themselves, or the ba’al tokeia should intend not to fulfil his mitzva when he hears shofar earlier in the day so he can then make the bracha when blowing later (though doing so will lead to him being prohibited from eating a meal until he blows for the women). (Rema 589:6, MB11).
  • (Blowing without a minyan at the start of the day: It is not recommended that a ba’al tokeia blow shofar for an audience of women (or less than a minyan of men) within the first three hours of the day – this is when the judgement of Rosh Hashana is at its strongest and we are careful to daven and blow shofar with a minyan during this time. This is so that in our judgement we are considered as part of the community and ‘Hashem won’t despise the prayer of the mighty (ie a community)’ (Iyov 36:5, Brachos 8a) (MB 589:11).)

Intention when Blowing Shofar

• Intention: We rule that ‘mitzvos tzrichos kavana’ – one must have in mind that one is doing a mitzva in order to fulfil one’s obligation. Thus, one who blows the shofar merely intending to practice does not fulfil the mitzva. Furthermore, when a ba’al tokeia is blowing the shofar for others, the ba’al tokeia must have the intention that he is enabling the people listening to fulfil the mitzva, and those listening must similarly have in mind to fulfil the mitzva through listening to the ba’al tokeia (SA 589:8).
• In communal contexts: When blowing in a communal context, the ba’al tokeia has intent to cover all those who are listening – therefore, even if one is outside shul, if one listens with intent to fulfil the mitzva, they are exempted by the ba’al tokeia (so long as there was no problem of an echo).
  • This is in contrast to a tekias shofar done privately eg for someone ill, when the ba’al tokeia is assumed to only be intending to blow for these he is aware of. One who overhears such a blowing without the ba’al tokeia being aware of them has not fulfilled their mitzva, even if they as the listener had the correct intent, unless they can verify that the ba’al tokeia’s intention was to cover ‘anyone listening’, rather than the specific people he was aware of (SA 589:9, MB17).
  • Those who come to shul specifically to hear the shofar blowing are assumed to have the necessary intent to fulfil the mitzva, even without having this directly in mind when they hear the blowing (MB16).
• After the fact, if it is clear from one’s actions that one wished to fulfil the mitzva, one has done so, even if the explicit intent to fulfil the mitzva didn’t pass through one’s mind – for example if one stood up and focused on hearing the shofar blasts, this would suffice after the fact )Shone Halachos 589:11, MB 60:10).
• This intent needs to be had at the start of the blowing but need not be actively held in one’s mind throughout. Nontheless, doing so may act to help one keep focused on the shofar blasts – if one’s mind is totally distracted when listening, it is very doubtful whether one fulfilled the mitzva (Dirshu 26, PT6).

Interruptions and Talking

• One must hear the entirety of each note to fulfil one’s mitzvah. Therefore, one may not talk or intentionally cough etc during the shofar blasts. Similarly, one should not bring young children to shul  (MB 587:16, 592:12).
• Talking: During the first thirty blasts, one may not talk in between notes, even to say tefillos which some machzorim have printed – one should merely think these (MB 592:12)
  • Even after the first thirty blasts, one should still not talk until one has heard the rest of the blasts later in davening, as the bracha said at the beginning also relates to these (SA 592:3, MB8, Dirshu 9).
  • However, it is permissible to speak about matters that relate directly to the shofar blowing or davening after the initial 30 blasts (Rema 592:3, MB12).
  • After the fact, if one did speak about unrelated matters in between blasts, one need not make a new bracha before hearing the next ones (R 592:3).
  • However, if one spoke about matters unrelated to the shofar blowing in between the initial bracha and the first blasts, one must make a new bracha (SA 592:3, MB 14).
  • Additionally, if one spoke in the middle of a tekiah, or between a shevarim and a teruah in a ‘shevarim-teruah’ blast, one must hear that set of notes (tekiah-shevarim-teruah-tekiah) again from the start, even if one was speaking about matters that related to the shofar blowing (MB13).
• Asher Yatzar: If one goes to the bathroom before one has heard all the shofar blasts, most poskim permit one to say Asher Yatzar.
• Torah & Tehillim: One may not learn Torah by enunciating the words, though one may think about Torah (or scan a sefer with one’s eyes). Some also permit one to say Tehillim though this shouldn’t be done at the expense of hearing the Chazzan’s repetition of the Amidah (Piskei Teshuvos 4, Dirshu 11).

Children and Women Hearing Shofar

• Chinuch: Once a child reaches the age of chinuch, it is appropriate to bring them to shul to hear the shofar, whilst taking care that they do not make noise during the shofar blowing. Alternatively, one could blow 30 notes privately for them (in which case the child should make the bracha not the adult) or arrange for them to hear shofar at the later blowings that tend to be held at shul later in the day.
  • The age of chinuch depends on the ability of each child to perform a mitzva with the understanding that they are doing a mitzva. In relation to shofar, this also requires them to be able to sit quietly in order to hear the blasts; this age will typically be around the ages 4-6 (MB 585:16, Dirshu 12, Piskei Teshuvos 589:2, Dirshu 4).
• Women: Strictly speaking, women are exempt from the mitzva of shofar as it is a time-bound mitzva. However, women do still receive reward for doing time-bound mitzvos and Ashkenazi practice is that women even say a bracha when performing such mitzvos. We have discussed above about how brachos should be made when blowing for women (Rema 589:6, MB8, 11).

Hearing an Echo of the Shofar Blowing

• One must hear the sound of the shofar itself and this may not be mixed in with the sound of its echo. Inside a shul this is not normally an issue, but one who is standing outside, particularly at a distance, should pay attention to ensure there is no sound of an echo mixed in with the primary sounds of the shofar blasts (SA 587:1, MB 7).

Unnecessary Extra Blasts

• Once a ba’al tokeia has blown the customary 100 blasts, he may not blow extra notes for that audience, given the general prohibition that applies on Shabbos and Yom Tov to play musical instruments (this restriction is obviously waived so one can fulfil the mitzva of Shofar). However, the Shofar does not become muktza and he may blow further notes as necessary for people who have not yet fulfilled their mitzvah (R 596:1, MB3 – 4).
• Additionally, one who is blowing Shofar on the second day of Rosh Hashana may not blow extra notes on the first day in order to practice (MB4).
• Children who have reached the age of chinuch (discussed above) are allowed to and may be guided by an adult on how to blow the shofar,m and they may do so all day, even outside the framework of them fulfilling their mitzva of hearing Shofar. However, the adult himself may not blow in order to teach them (R 596:1, MB 5,6).

Shabbos

• The shofar is not blown when Rosh Hashana falls on Shabbos, lest one come to carry the Shofar in a street without an eiruv (SA 588:5).