Does a shofar have to be certified kosher?
If you would like to have a shofar for decoration or as a conversation piece, there’s no need for it to be kosher — even if you sometimes blow it as well. In many cases you will not be able to see or hear the difference between a kosher shofar and a non-kosher shofar, whether it is made of a ram’s horn or a kudu horn. However, if you plan to carry out the commandment of hearing the shofar on Rosh Hashana (or at the end of Yom Kippur) it definitely must be kosher.
What’s the difference between a kosher shofar and a non-kosher shofar?
- cutting off the end of the shofar or reducing the thickness of the shofar walls does not render the shofar invalid, as long as it retains the minimum length
- the length of a shofar must be at least one tefach (9.6 cm), not including the mouthpiece
- shofars of any pitch are kosher, as long as the sound of the shofar has not been artificially modified
- no substance or coating may be added to the mouthpiece
- the remaining part of the shofar may be coated on the outside, as long as the coating does not alter the sound the shofar produces
- decorated shofars (e.g. silver-plated shofars) are not considered kosher because the materials added might have altered the tone of the shofar
- the shofar must be fully intact, without any holes or cracks
Many reputable shofar vendors sell plated shofars as decorative pieces. They can be blown, of course, but cannot be used for the mitzvah of hearing the shofar on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Decorated kudu shofars are often very impressive to behold.
Types of shofars
Kudu shofars, sometimes mistakenly identified as “gazelle shofars,” are made from the horns of the Greater Kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros, a woodland antelope that inhabits southern and eastern Africa. The males, which weigh in at 420-600 lbs, have long horns with two and a half or even three full twists. If straightened they reach an average length of one meter. However, the male horns do not begin to grow until the kudu antelope is at least six months old, forming the first spiral at around two years of age, and not reaching full length until the age of six.
The kudu shofar, also known as a Yemenite shofar, is therefore much longer than a ram’s horn shofar. According to some opinions, the kudu horn was the original shofar used by the Jewish people, brought to the Land of Israel from Africa. The kudu shofar has a polished exterior from the mouthpiece to the middle portion. The remainder often has a natural finish and texture. The original color of the shofar is retained across this section.
Small kudu shofars measure between 26 and 29 inches, while medium horns measure 30 to 33 inches and the large range from 34 to 38 inches or more.
Another type of elongated shofar is the gemsbok shofar, which has been gradually making its way into the shofar market in recent years. A gemsbok is made from the horn of the southern African oryx (Oryx gazella), a type of antelope known in Afrikaans as the “gemsbok.”
The horns are dark brown or black, almost perfectly straight, about two and a half feet long, with ridges along half the length, lending the shofar a striking appearance that can command a hefty price. They are considered kosher, but according to halacha are not preferred for the mitzvah of shofar on Rosh Hashana, since they are not bent. To herald the Jubilee year, however, the Mishna states that a straight horn is ideal (Rosh Hashana 3:2).
Another exotic shofar appearing on the shofar market is the eland shofar, which is straight, but has a twist (not a curve) along part of its length. Ibex shofars and pronghorn shofars are also sometimes sold, and are kosher, but not preferable. (The Pri Megadim states that the ibex shofar is preferable to the eland shofar, because the ibex is from the goat family and the Torah uses the same terminology for goats and sheep.)