Shofar Factory
The Shofar Factory is a tried-and-tested way to introduce children — and adults — to Rosh Hashanah, and is a great way to kick off the High Holiday season. Below are a number of curated resources you can use in preparing and running your Shofar Factory.
Shopping List
The materials required for a Shofar Factory are quite complex, and it can be helpful to prepare with the help of others who have hosted one in the past. Below is a detailed list of the materials needed as well as some places you may be able to obtain them.
Goat Horn Shofars | Ideally, use goat horns since their shape is easier to drill a mouthpiece into. | Yossi Gansbourg | ||
Buy them clean from Chabad sources. Otherwise you must clean them | ||||
yourself far in advance of your Shofar Factory program. (see page ) | Levy Shemtov | |||
Shofar Factory Sign | Make a nice colorful “SHOFAR FACTORY,” sign to mount on the display. Use the Shofar Factory logo for a distinguishing mark. | Sign store | ||
If you are dealing with many groups coming to make shofars, it is useful to make a set of instructional posters to lead participants from station to station. | ||||
Poster Display | Include posters of different horned animals, Rabbi(s) Blowing shofar, a | Tzivos Hashem | ||
professional shofar factory at work, | ||||
Display of Taxidermy Mounted Animal Heads with Horns | The ultimate in a dramatic display. Shoulder mounts of a Ram, Sheep, Deer, and Goat are basics. Other interesting options include Kudu, North American Pronghorn antelope, various African antelopes, Gazelles, etc. | Buy or rent from a taxidermy Shop or borrow or rent from the local Museum of Natural History. | ||
Folding Display | A backdrop made of 3 panels attached together by hinges to hang the animal | Build your own at Home | ||
mounts. They are sturdiest when stood in a wide open “C” shape. | Depot | |||
4x8 Plywood method: 3 sheets of 5/8” or ¾” thick plywood cut down to | ||||
7.5 feet by 3 feet 10 inches. | ||||
Lightweight Method: Use large prefabricated interior doors. Mount hinges to attach together . | ||||
Mounting Material | Use simulated grass patio cover (looks like Astroturf) to cover the display to | Home Depot | ||
give it an outdoors look. | ||||
Sample Shofars & Horns For | Horns not fit for making a shofar: Deer antlers, bull, cow, or ox. Gemsbok | Tzivos Hashem | ||
Display Only | Plastic Shofar, Trumpet, didgeridoo | Judaica store | ||
Kosher Shofars: A flat shofars, a “Vov” Shofar, the Yemenite Kudu Shofar to recall the brocho of Tka B’Shofar Godol that will announce the coming | Taxidermy Supply | |||
of Moshiach. | ||||
Also keep on hand a successfully drilled sample like the shofars you will | ||||
be making in case of mishap during the demonstration | ||||
Pre-cleaned ram’s horn with | The cartilage must be cured and clean of any flesh or dirt. Get it this way | Tzivos Hashem | ||
cartilage reinserted | from your shofar supplier - or prepare it yourself like this (it is messy). If it | |||
still has flesh on it - Put it into a (treif) pot of water and about a cup of | ||||
baking soda. Boil it for 4-6 hours while completely submerged. If most of | ||||
the meat is gone but it smells bad, put it into a solid container and cover | ||||
with pure bleach - (clorox works very well) let it stand for a day and then let | ||||
it dry.) | ||||
Tongs | For getting the wet shofar out of the bucket | Housewares | ||
Channel locks -(pliers) | to pull the cartilage out of the shofar | Hardware | ||
Baby Bottle brush | to scrub the inside of the shofars | Housewares or | ||
(You can also use a vegetable brush snipped on one side.) | Pharmacy | |||
5 gallon bucket: | You can use a BaTampte pickle bucket - but remove the markings) | Home Depot, Raskin’s | ||
Fruit etc | ||||
Curved measuring rod | Take a white coat hanger, (it’s easier to see if you drop it on the floor,) clip | Dry cleaners | ||
off the hook with a wire cutter and bend it into “C” shape. You will need | ||||
one for the presentation and many more if the children will make shofars. | ||||
White-Out Pen | This is used to draw a white mark on the shofars(s) as you measure them. Make a line showing where to saw the tip off and a small dot where the | Office supply | ||
hollow ends. This makes it easier to know how far to drill. Pentel brand | ||||
lasts longest. | ||||
Mini-Coping Saws | A safe hand-tool kids can use for sawing off the end of shofars. You will | Hardware or Tzivos Hashem | ||
need one for the presentation. If children will be making shofars you will | ||||
need one saw for every two children. This is the part of the operation that the children get to invest the most work into, don’t skip this step. | ||||
Replacement blades | You will need replacement blades every 3-4 shofars. Six-inch-long replacement coping saw blades (rough-cut) should fit mini-coping saws. | Hardware | ||
Goggles | You will need one pair for the volunteer, (and one for yourself – unless you wear glasses already,) during the drilling portion of the presentation. Get at least another three if children will be waiting their turn to get their shofars drilled. | Hardware | ||
Rubber Gloves | The kids who take out the cartilage will wear these. Medium or small size long cuff dishwashing gloves are best. | Housewares | ||
Disinfectant/Deodorizer | To put into the water in the bucket (the presentation demonstrates the cleaning process, right?) | Housewares | ||
Leather or fabric Working/Gardening Gloves | You will need two pairs for the part of the presentation where the volunteers cut off the tip of the shofars. You will need them again when you will call up a volunteer to hold the shofars while you drill. | Supermarket or Health Food store | ||
If the children will be making their own shofars, the gloves will protect their hands and avoid scratches. Also, work gloves make the kids feel like real serious craftsmen. These should not be used for shellacking the shofars. Shellac will ruin them once dry. | ||||
Variable speed/reversible drills | Get two drills; one for the bit that makes the hole and one for the bit that makes the mouthpiece. Be sure to get the variable speed variety (so that you can drill slowly when starting the hole.) Also make sure the drill reverses in case the bit gets stuck in the shofar (It happens!). | Hardware | ||
Drill bits | You will need high speed drill bits. An extended 6” bit is recommended instead of the standard 4-6 inch ones. This will enable you to leave most of the horn and make a shofar by “cutting it long”. Use 5/32" for small and thin shofars and 3/16" for thick and heavy shofars. Get several in case it breaks. For longer shofars or 8” bits | Hardware | ||
Step-bit (or Cone bit) | This drill bit is essential for making a shofar that can be successfully blown. Once the shofars have been successfully drilled, this bit is used to widen the hole on the outer mouthpiece while leaving the inner hole or sound canal intact. Note: DON’T try to accomplish this with a regular drill bit. You will risk damage and serious injury. The best one is double fluted and titanium coated for long life, made by Veribit. | Hardware, Tzivos Hashem | ||
Sandpaper | If you will be making shofars with just a few dozen children at one or two presentations a year – it may not pay to invest in a belt sander and you may be able to manage having the kids smooth the mouthpiece with handheld sandpaper. But this will work if you are careful to choose only small shofars that can be made in a way that the mouthpiece stays narrow. Bulkier shofars need the aggressive sanding of a belt sander. You will need medium grit. | Hardware Store | ||
Delta belt-disk sander combo or | If you will be making a hundred shofars but you are not in any hurry the Delta belt sander is the tool for you. This belt sander has a 1 inch belt and an optional vacuum attachment and costs around $100. | Tools On Sale | ||
Makita Belt Sander (#9031) | If you need to turn out dozens of shofars every hour you need the aggressiveness and durability of a Makita 9031 hand held belt sander (old model # 9030 is just as good). Besides its small size, it has a speed adjustment, a vacuum attachment (works not bad) and works very fast! | Tools On Sale | ||
"C" clamp(s) | The Delta sander can be permanently mounted to a table with a few bolts. To mount it temporarily, place it on the corner of the table and use two 4” “C” clamps. For the Makita sander use a large 6” “C” clamp near the handle of the sander. | Tools On Sale | ||
Extra sanding belts | Make sure you have spare sanding belts. Get the size recommended for your model sander. | Tools On Sale | ||
Vacuum Cleaner | If you must use a sander,a vacuum is a MUST. Attach the hose to the vacuum adaptor of your sander. Get a QUIET but powerful model at 4 hp or more. The ShopVac QSP series are both and affordable. Note: Vacuum cleaners take up a lot of electricity. Plug them into a separate circuit than your drills and sander.
| Home Depot or Tools On Sale |
Spare Vacuum Bags | Don’t rely on the built in dust filter of any vacuum. Buy disposable vacuum bags for your model machine in advance. | Home Depot or Tools On Sale |
Power Strip | Since you will be using two drills and probably a sander have a multi-outlet power strip. It is best to get one with a built-in resetting fuse to avoid power outages in the building. Note: Avoid plugging the vacuum together with the drills and sander. | Hardware or Housewares |
Extension Cord | Bring electricity to where you set up—not the other way around. If you are using a sander, use at least a 14-gauge cord no longer than 25 feet long. | Hardware or Housewares |
Duct Tape | Keep electrical cables out of people’s way by taping them down with duct tape. You can also use it to attach the dust collector to the sander. | Hardware or Housewares |
“Split” Hooves | To graphically show one of the signs that makes an animal kosher . | Taxidermy Shop or Museum of Natural Science or Museum of Natural History. |
Table Cloth | Cover the display table with a heavy cloth to catch all the sawdust and debris from sanding and drilling. | Fabric or upholstery shop |
Leather covers | Suede rawhide to place at ends of the table for an exotic workshop look. | Tandy Leather Supplies |
Serviettes | You can use alcohol soaked napkins (like you get on the airplane) to clean shofars in between kids who try to blow the shofars. Optionally you can use alcohol & cotton balls. | Housewares or Restaurant Supply |
Tapered Reamer | This is a handy tool to smooth out the mouthpiece of the shofars by hand. | Home Depot |
Disposable Gloves | Optional to wear during shellacking. Get disposable latex gloves in boxes of 100. | Housewares, or Restaurant supply |
Questionnaire | To sign up kids in Tzivos Hashem and for in-house “evaluation” of the program | Tzivos Hashem |
Water-Based Polyurethane | Since we don’t have the time and are not able to bring machinery to polish the finished shofars to a glossy shine, you can give the shofars an artificial shine with a glossy polyurethane shellac. The advantage of the water-based variety is that it does not give off flammable or dangerous fumes and cleans up with water while wet. You can also dilute it with water (50%-50%) and it will give a brilliant shine to the shofars and dry in about 10-20 minutes depending on air temperature. Suggested brands: Last ‘n Last, Harco, Benjamin Moore. Note: the shofar is still kosher if painted with polyurethane. | Home Depot, Hardware |
Medium Paint Brushes | Brush on the Polyurethane with 1.5 inch bristle brushes. | Hardware |
Containers for Polyurethane | Three or four sturdy plastic containers are useful when a small crowd needs | Housewares |
to brush polyurethane on their shofars. | ||
Drop cloth | A disposable plastic drop cloth will keep the polyurethane area from getting messy. | Hardware |
Shofar Factory Stickers | As a prize to give to those who fill out and turn in the questionnaire | Tzivos Hashem |
Instruction Diagrams For | Tzivos Hashem | |
Shofar Blowing | ||
Shofar 10 – How and Why | ||
Tzivos Hashem Newsletters | Tzivos Hashem | |
Moshiach Times | Edition | Tzivos Hashem |
Tzivos Hashem sign-up forms | Tzivos Hashem | |
Rosh Hashanah Holiday | For adults | Shlomo Lakein |
Brochures |
Tishrei Competition | For children | Tzivos Hashem |
Slide Show | Tzivos Hashem | |
Slide projector | ||
Slides | Tzivos Hashem | |
Band Aids | In the unlikely event of a mini coping saw scratch, have a few of these handy. | Pharmacy |
Study Guide
Print these questions out and tell the participants to circle the correct answer(s). (Hint: there may be more than one answer).
1) What is the theme of Rosh Hashanah?
Teshuva - improving our ways
Judgment Day
Independence day
Election day
Birthday of the World
G-d becomes King of the world
2) The sounds of the Shofar remind us of:
An alarm
A child's cry
Lunch time
The giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai
Abraham willing to sacrifice his son Issac
When the Jews will reunite in Jerusalem with Moshiach
3) What is a Shofar made of?
Plastic
Kevlar
Wood
Animal skin
Animal horn
French horn
4) A Shofar can be made from the horns of which animals?
Ram
Goat
Buffalo
Unicorn
Elephant
Gazelle
Deer
5) Can a Shofar be made from a cow’s horn?
No, cows don't have horns
Yes, it reminds us of the Para Adumah (Red Heifer)
No, it is called a "keren" not a "Shofar"
Yes, the sound is very moo-ving
No, it reminds us of the sin of the Golden Calf
6) Why is a Shofar curved?
So you can't see through
That's the way it grows on the animal
To improve the sound
To remind us to bend our will before G-d
To remind us to bend our appetite during the long service
7) How long must a Shofar be?
An inch
A wrist-width
A hands-breadth
A bread-length
8) Who must hear the Shofar?
Only Men
Rabbis and teachers
Musicians
Synagogue members only
All Jewish men, women and children
9) Number the Shofar sounds from longest to shortest:
___ Tekiah
___ Tekiah Gedolah
___ Teruah
___ Shevarim
10) How can a Shofar be decorated?
Only by a well-known artist
With semi-precious stones
With gold and silver plating
It's better not to since it may change the sound
11) Name a defect that makes a Shofar unfit for use on Rosh Hashanah:
A hole
A crack
An unsanded exterior
Not tuned properly
Smaller than a hand-breadth
12) If Rosh Hashanah occurs on Shabbat do we blow the Shofar?
No
Yes, depending on the size of the crowd
It's up to the Temple sisterhood to decide
Yes, if it's not raining outside
13) What special things do we do on Rosh Hashanah?
Eat sweet foods
Eat fish
Dip apples in honey
Dip fingers in hot beeswax
Say Tehillim (Psalms)
Make good resolutions
Program
Note: program should be customized to be age appropriate.
Introduction: These animals were not killed for this demo; we borrowed them from ...
Rosh Hashanah is coming soon (main pointers about holiday)
New Year
Judgment day
Birthday of the world (man)
Teshuvah
Hearing the sounds of the Shofar is the central Mitzvah of this holiday. The sounds remind us of:
An alarm
The sound of sobs
A child’s cry - Teshuvah
A Shofar has a curve towards Hashem
Plain simple call
What is a Shofar?
It has to come from a kosher animal: split hooves, chews its cud.
Show deer antlers (it comes from a kosher animal) and explain why they are not good for Shofar. It's like a bone, it has many branches, and a Shofar has to be hollow.
Show bullhorn, explain why not kosher, it comes from a kosher animal and is hollow. Torah says to use a "Shofar", a bull’s horn is called a "Keren" it reminds us of the Eigel…
Show different kinds of kosher horns and explain that the best Shofar is from a ram because it reminds us of the Akeidat Yitzchak and in that merit we ask Hashem to bless us with a good year.
What other times do/did we blow Shofar?
Elul, Yovel, Yom Kippur, at Western Wall, Jericho, and before the Jews went to war.
The Brochah made on the Shofar is Lishmoa Kol Shofar, not Al Tekiat Shofar, because the Mitzvah is to HEAR the sounds of the Shofar.
From the word “Kol” we learn out that if one hears the echo of the Shofar they have not fulfilled their obligation.
Some laws about Shofar:
It must be a little larger than a handbreadth (Tefach), so that it should not look like you are blowing through your hands, but rather, the Shofar has to stick out on both sides.
It should not be decorated with something that will change its sound. One is not even allowed to coat the tip or the end with gold or silver.
For the same reason it can not have a crack or a hole. Can you fix a crack or hole with glue? No. Shofar chips? Yes.
How is a Shofar made?
Measure to see how far the hollow part goes (leave ½” extra space).
Cut off tip (you can use this as a souvenir if you drill a hole in it, it makes a necklace.) Explain that if cut off too much it won't make sound, show demo.
Use 3/16 drill bit (explain if you go out of side it is not Kosher show demo)
Use step bit
Sand mouth piece and full body
Call volunteers to try to blow it
Try other Shofars.
USE VOLUNTEERS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. (They should wear gloves and goggles.)
Have kids finish sanding and shellac Shofar.
Teach sounds of the Shofar (with smaller children you can give whistles to use.)
If in the month of Elul blow one round (to add some excitement you can blow a long Teruah or get them to time you while you blow a Tekiah Gedolah)
Remind them to hear Shofar blowing in Synagogue / Temple
It is nice to finish the program with a story. The best ones might be the parables about the fire tower or about the fiddler and the king.
Shana Tovah!
B”H
Tidbits
Root of the word Shofar is from Lishapeir, to improve.
Tekiat Shofar reminds us of the Akedah, how one should be ready to sacrifice anything for their service of Hashem. Kabalat Hatorah (our dedication to Hashem).
Why are there different sounds in the sequence of blowing the Shofar? A) Because it is like the different stages of crying. B) There is a machlokes of what is a Teruah: one says shevarim — groaning. And the other says teruah — whimpering. In order to fulfill both opinions we also do them both together.
We do not blow the Shofar on Shabbat.
The length of the Tekiah should be as long as the middle section, as it says in the Torah, to blow tekiah, teruah tekiah — tekiah only comes as an addition to the Teruah; therefore it has to be preceded and followed by a tekiah.
The Bal Tokeiah’s mouth needs to touch the Shofar (so that the sound comes directly from him) therefore it can not be plated even with gold.
In the time when there were decrees against hearing Shofar the Jews had to be careful that they were not hearing the echo of the cellar walls rather than the Shofar.
There is a Machloket about which horn is best: 1) Ram 2) Goat.
We blow 100 sounds of the Shofar.
Must be hollow – Shofar comes from the word shfoferet – tube.
Animal must be Kosher – the Gemorah says that only Kosher animals have horns.
Must be Tefach, so that it can be seen.