Children Fashion Shofars to Sound at End of Yom Kippur

NAPLES, FL — Some 65 children turned out Sunday morning at Chabad Jewish Center of Naples and Marco Island to learn how to craft a shofar.

A musical instrument carved from a ram’s horn, the shofar is central to the observance of Rosh Hashana, the start of the Jewish New Year.

More pictures in the Extended Article! (By Greg Kahn – Daily News)

A “wake-up” call to those who long to return to God, the sound of the shofar also presages the coming of the Messiah, whose arrival will be heralded by a blast of a great shofar.

Sunday, using drills, Chabad Rabbi Fishel Zaklos and a score of adult volunteers helped carve out the necessary holes from the ram horns imported from Israel so the children could make the shofar emit its holy sound.

According to the Music Encyclopedia, the shofar is the only ancient Jewish instrument that is still in use since the Roman destroyed the Second Temple in 70 AD.

A shofar may be created from the horn of any kosher animal.

In order to turn a ram’s horn into a true shofar, a hole is made to reach the hollow inside. It is played much like any other traditional horn.

Volunteers helped some of the youngsters use a saw, Zaklos said. In fact, once they sawed off the necessary portion, they discovered a little shofar-like piece was left, which they immediately turned into key chains, Zaklos said, laughing.

There was then a two-hour-long shofar blowing concert

“It was lots of fun,” Zaklos said.

In addition to heralding the start of the “head of the year,” which is what Rosh Hashana means, the shofar is blasted at the end of Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement and fasting. This year, that holy day begins Friday at sunset and ends at sunset Saturday.