Shofar Factory Being Held in Honor of Rosh Hashanah

Adults and children are invited to create Shofars – a ram’s horn – in honor of Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year.

The Shofar Factory event is being held by the Chabad Lubavitch of Waukesha. It is being held at 4 p.m. Aug. 26 in the community room of the Brookfield Public Library. Admission is free.  Following the interactive presentation, participants can sand, and polish their own Shofar. RSVP to info@JewishWaukesha.com to reserve a Shofar. For more information, contact Rabbi Levi Brook at: http://www.JewishWaukesha.com- 262-563-9770 or Rabbi@JewishWaukesha.com

From the Chabad Lubavitch of Waukesha’s news release:

 The Shofar is perhaps the oldest wind instrument known to mankind.  Consisting of a simple horn taken from a ram or similar animal (such as a kudu) and hollowed of its internal cartilage, the instrument produces a haunting, almost mystical tone.  

"The Shofar generates an otherworldly sound.  It's very soulful, very stirring, and open to much interpretation," said Rabbi Levi Brook, director of Chabad Jewish Center of Waueksha and sponsor of the Shofar Factory.  "Each individual hears something else in the Shofar's voice.  Thus it’s most fitting and quite uplifting for the Shofar to be blown during the High Holidays, the holiest Jewish season of the year."

According to Jewish history, the sound of a Shofar accompanied G-d's giving of the Torah (the Bible) to the ancient Hebrews, the ancestors of Jews today, as they stood at the foot of Mount Sinai in the Middle Eastern wilderness.

The Shofar is sounded in Jewish synagogues on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and at the end of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, for several reasons, not least among them its unique sound. 

"Chassidism teaches that the call of the Shofar is reminiscent of the pure voice of the soul," explained Rabbi Brook.  "At Rosh Hashanah, the soul strives to touch the Divine. Also the various notes sounded with the Shofar remind one of weeping, which stirs people to better their ways, which is among the central themes of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur."

Visitors to the Waukesha Shofar Factory will learn just what criteria an animal's horn must meet in order to qualify as a genuine Shofar, while viewing and handling various horns. There will then be a hands-on demonstration where the children will assist in sawing, drilling, sanding, and polishing a Shofar. After sanding and polishing their very own horns, the children will hear the traditional shofar sounds, and experiment sounding the notes.