Ram's Horn Shofar

It depends on what you want it for. We have both Jewish and Gentile customers from all over the world. For our Jewish customers who want their Shofar for performing the Mitzvah on Rosh Hashanah, the main concern is which type of Shofar is preferable according to Halacha (Jewish Law). For others it is just a matter of personal preference. Both types are perfectly authentic, Kosher Shofars.   But Halacha does give preference to the Ram’s horn Shofar for performing the Mitzvah. This is mainly because of an interesting tradition.

We know that when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac, God sent an angel to stop him and provided a ram for sacrifice in Isaac’s place. According to the Jewish Oral Tradition, two Shofars were made from the horns of that ram. The shorter one was used at the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. The longer one will be blown at the arrival of the final redemption. This is what the prophet Isaiah meant when he spoke of ’sounding the great (meaning large) Shofar’.

Yemenite Shofar

According to this tradition, the ram’s horn is preferable for performing the Mitzvah on Rosh Hashanah, because it reminds God of the merit of our father Abraham at this important time when we ask God to forgive our sins.

The kudu or Yemenite Shofar is Kosher and can be used to perform the Mitzvah where a ram’s horn is not available, but preference is given to the horn of a ram.

There is a fascinating article from Rabbi Nathan Slifkin that discusses these issues and more at length. You can read it in PDF format here.