Glass Shofarot and Rhyta - Part Two

One of the pleasures I get studying shofar is the opportunity to exchange views with scholars in related fields. In a previous post, I discussed glass objects shaped like shofarot and  rhyta. Here is an exchange I had on the subject with Einav Zamir, Department of Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Near Eastern Art, Brooklyn Museum

The discussion began when I wrote to the museum about this item shown on its website:

Roman. Rhyton or Drinking Horn of Molded Glass, 1st - 5th century A.D. Glass, 3 11/16 x 1 3/4 x 8 9/16 in. (9.3 x 4.4 x 21.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of R. B. Woodward, 05.35. Creative Commons-BY-NC, Image: Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2009

From: Michael Chusid Jul 3, 2011

Your website identifies this as a rhyton. I suspect it is, instead, a trumpet or blast horn. 

1. The flare at the narrow end would function nicely as a mouthpiece for blowing. As a rhyton, it would spread the flow of liquid and make imbibing messy. 

2. The narrow shape of the horn limits the volume of liquid that could be contained. Most rhyton I have seen have a wider body. Trumpets, on the other hand, do fine with a narrow bore and modest bell. 

3. Similar items from the same time period are identified as trumpets. See: www.archaeological-center.com/en/auctions/29-250/. 

4. Also compare to www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/7759/Trumpet/set/38cc4552fedbb6cf999158b2d23da6c7?referring-q=trumpet in your own collection. While from a different era, the mouthpiece and bore are similar. 

I have also written about it at hearingshofar.blogspot.com/2011/07/glass-shofarot.html and welcome your comments.

From: Einav Zamir, July 7, 2011

Thank you for contacting our department in regards to object 05.35 and its possible misattribution. The department has brought me in to work on their Roman Glass collection, which is one of my areas of specialization, so I was happy to look into this matter on their behalf. It is an interesting idea, and I think you make some valuable points about the shape and function of the object in question.

Mouthpiece

Some things that I noticed that argue against your attribution however, are the edge of the mouthpiece, which is thick and flat (this cannot be seen from the photo on our website), and the opening itself, which is a bit too wide (I believe) to function as an instrument. If it is a shofar, could it have been commemorative, rather than functional?

Note "spout" at narrow end.

I would also have to disagree with your first point. The slant in the glass at the narrow end is not a flare (as it is unevenly formed), but more of a dip towards the lower portion of the mouth, which would in fact fit with a rhyton. The first image I have attached is a drawing from Isings' Roman Glass from Dated Finds which demonstrates very clearly this dip that I refer to (Isings identifies this 'pointed base' as a feature typical of type one and type three drinking horns - I believe our example falls into the first category).

Moreover, this object is comparable to other glass horn-shaped vessels (John W. Hayes makes a comparison between our 05.35 and one of the objects at the Royal Ontario Museum on page 122 of Roman and Pre-Roman Glass - items 480-482). Unfortunately, these objects are either no longer part of their collection, or perhaps just not available online, so I was unable to find an image to send you. There are some black and white plates in the Hayes volume, if you are able to find a copy.

In any case, I have attached additional images of 05.35 - whether these help solidify your conclusions or argue against them, I thought they would be helpful for you to have for your research.

From Michael Chusid, November 27, 2011

In response to your question, "If it is a shofar, could it have been commemorative, rather than functional?," I want to clarify that a shofar can only be made from a non-bovine animal horn under Jewish law dating back thousands of years in the written record. Thus my suggestion is that it was a "blast-horn" or "trumpet", but not a shofar.  For the record, shofarot are intrinsically commemorative, as Torah describes the Jewish New Year as a day to "remember" or "commemorate" the sounds of shofar heard during the theophany at Sinai.

I can see how the spout on this artifact suggests its use as a rhyton. In my limited experience drinking from rytha, the fluid spurts out under hydraulic pressure, making a pointed base or pouring spout unnecessary. Have you poured liquid through it to confirm that the spout provides an effective flow?

I suggest blowing the artifact to hear its sound. I have copied Cantor [omitted] of New York City, an accomplished shofar blower, in case you are looking for an expert opinion on its timbre, pitch, and blowability.

All said, I now agree with your cataloging it as a rython. With glass so dear during the era, I doubt anyone was using it for experimental music. However, the distinction between whether something is a rython or a blast horn may be inconsequential. Ancient shepherds drank from and sounded blasts with the same horn. And I can imagine the owner of a glass rhyton quaffing an intoxicant, then trumpeting as part of the merry making or to summon the sommelier for a refill.

 She responded on 2012 April 9:

Unfortunately, tests to identify a specific function of the object in question would be difficult. Being very antique, we cannot risk using it (either by blowing into it or pouring liquid inside), though I agree such tests might answer a lot of questions.

In any case, I very much enjoyed our discussion - your suggestion that rhyta could have had multiple purposes is one that appeals to me, and I will certainly keep this in mind during future investigations. I wish you all the best in your research efforts, and I hope to speak with you again soon.

 And I wrote:

If the antique is judged to fragile to test, perhaps it can be scanned and then a reproduction "printed."  Is it important enough to our understanding to invest time and resources in such an effort?

 I do not believe the research is of high priority. 

Metropolitan Museum of Art

These shofarot are in the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art.

18th century (?); length (of tube): 58.2 cm (23-3/8 in.); diam. of bell: ca. 6 cm (2-3/8 in.); Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889; Accession Number: 89.4.2899

The Hebrew inscription is Tiki b'chodesh shofar, Blow shofar on new moon.
Note the small ram sculpture near the bell. I have seen this motif on other antique shofarot. If you have a theory about its origin or meaning, please let me know.

19th cent. Possibly from India; if so the horn probably came African trade as this appears to be a kudu. The shaped mouthpiece is a beauty.Length 73 cm (28-3/4 in.)-measured straight from end to end; diam. of bell 8.5 cm (3-5/16 in.)-at widest; Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889; Accession Number: 89.4.372

19th century, Length-of tube 45.5 cm (17-15/16 in.); Diam. of bell- widest 5.6 cm (2-1/4 in.); Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889; Accession Number: 89.4.373

18th or 19th century; Length of tube: ca. 70 cm (27-5/8 in.); Widest diam. of bell: 87 cm (34-1/4 in.); Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889; Accession Number: 89.4.1501

Does anyone make shofarot like this today? I admire the horner's skill to straighten such a long horn.

The Museum's online catalog lists two other shofarot without images. One is dated "1850 to 1946," suggesting the difficulty of identifying a shofar's age based on appearance alone.

It would be nice to have audio tracks demonstrating the sounds of each horn; is there a donor reading this?

Man is like a Ram's Horn

"When you speak, think that the Wold of Speech is at work within you, for without that presence, you would not be able to speak at all. Similarly, you would not think at all were it not for the wold of thought within you. Man is like a ram's horn; the only sound he makes is that which is blown through him. Were there no one blowing the horn, there would be no sound at all."

Maggid Devaraw Le-Ya'aqov

Quoted in Gateways to the Otherworld, Philip Gardiner, page 220

Book of Changes

Jewish I Ching?

The image above is a graphic representation of the Rosh Hashanah shofar blast sequence of, from top to bottom, tekiah, shevarim, teruah, tekiah. While contemplating the image, I saw a visual similarity to the trigrams in the ancient Chinese oracle, I Ching:

When I can, I will return to this page to add thoughts about how shofar and I Ching compare with regards to causality vs synchronicity, our attempt to understand our place in world, and divination of future.

The I Ching's acceptance of "chance" offers a possible answer to what sequence of blasts other than Rosh Hashanah -- Leave it to chance.  Through a die or toss a coin, and let that determine the blasts.

More on another occasion.

They have a Blast at Shofar-Blowing Class

From the Jewish Journal, September 7, 2011 By Ryan Torok

It was like the beginning of a meeting for a 12-step program. One by one, they said their names, where they live and how they became addicted ... to playing the shofar. Musician and comedian David Zasloff blows shofar during a workshop for master shofar blowers. Photo by Rico Mandel Mitch Dorf, a television sound mixer and self-described Grateful Dead fan, says he loves the opportunity to play his “ax” at The Wiltern for his congregation, Wilshire Boulevard Temple. “I’m on a stage where I’ve seen Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers and the Stones,” he said. “With the shofar, you can do it in a plain fashion or you can do it in a grand fashion,” said veteran shofar blower Alan Abelson, who led High Holy Days services for prison inmates for 30 years. “It’s all kosher.” A crowd of approximately 25 male and female ba’alei tekiah (shofar master blasters) gathered at Shalom House in Woodland Hills to network, swap stories and exchange tips on getting the right sound. The Aug. 30 event, “Shofaron for Master Blasters,” provided experienced shofar blowers, who are in their respective congregations during the High Holy Days, with the rare opportunity to listen to each other perform and learn from one another. “The idea was to get different shofar blowers from different synagogues throughout the Los Angeles area and to share techniques, to share stories and to talk about the importance of shofar,” said Michael Chusid, who organized and facilitated the workshop. “Since blowing shofar is a rite that is hand-taught from one generation to next, there really isn’t a formal study of shofar.” Between Aug. 29 and Aug. 31, meetings like these took place in 10 cities in the United States and abroad, including San Francisco, New York and London. Chusid, who has taught the shofar at American Jewish University, developed the idea for the International Day of Shofar Study along with three other skilled shofar blowers from around the country. Together they’re building Shofar Corps — a network of talented and committed shofar blowers who are willing to learn from each other and to share their passion for shofar. “We realized there were a lot of shofarists who were doing the job but not with much skill or understanding. So the responsibility of people who are experts at shofar [coming together] to mentor others quickly developed [into] the notion of an International Day of Shofar Study,” Chusid said. The shofar is traditionally made from a ram’s horn and is blown during Rosh Hashanah to mark the beginning of the High Holy Days and at the end of the Yom Kippur service. It is considered a commandment to hear the shofar blown. Chusid says that too often, people in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons don’t hear a shofar during Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur. He hopes the development of Shofar Corps will eventually address this problem. The shofar workshop in Woodland Hills drew an eclectic crowd, including an oboe player who had recently taken to the shofar, a Jewish Valley resident who works as a professional Santa Claus and a comedian who can play a shofar rendition of “Flight of the Bumblebee.” Local synagogues assisted with outreach for the Aug. 30 event, and e-mails referred people to the Shofar Corps Web site, shofarcorps.org, which Chusid helped launched in June. David Cooperman, owner of Shalom House, said he was happy to host the event at his Ventura Boulevard Judaica shop. “I thought it was a great idea,” Cooperman said, “and something that, if we could be a part of, we would be.” After introductions, the floor was opened up to participants’ questions. “Are rams slaughtered solely for shofar or are they already dead?” Beth Chayim Chadashim congregant Lauren Schlau asked. The rams were slaughtered for food, Cooperman said. Sarah Fortman, a local cantorial student and one of the youngest members of the group, asked if a cracked shofar was acceptable. The shofar had to be fixed before it could be played, people responded. Melted keratin would do the trick, Abelson said. When it came to sharing tricks of the trade, Joe Guttman of Shomrei Torah Synagogue, volunteered: “You use your lips, you use your tongue and you use, believe it or not, your stomach.” “The diaphragm,” somone added. At the end of the session, after showing off their own shofars, the participants stood and blasted in unison. “The shofar is an ancient way of communication, something that is based biblically on the heritage of our people. Having the sound brings back images, Bible stories, of Torah, of coming together as a community,” Cooperman said. For some, the evening provided inspiration to improve their shofar skills. “All the stories that people were telling from our tradition about shofar, it opened my heart, opened my eyes, opened my ears,” Schlau said, “and I’m going to go home and practice.”

© Copyright 2011 Tribe Media Corp. http://www.jewishjournal.com/ los_angeles/article/they_have_a_blast_at_shofar-blowing_class_20110907/ All rights reserved. JewishJournal.com

Shofar in Theater - New DVD

The World of Sholom Aleichem and The Dybbuk

Released on DVD: September 27, 2011
Archive of American Television
$29.98 each, http://eonehomevideo.com

Review by: Marc Gottlieb

Published: October 5th, 2011Latest update: October 5th, 2011
The blast of the shofar ends one of the most dramatic scenes in “The Dybbuk,” directed by Sidney Lumet, in which a rabbinical court excommunicates a dybbuk, while the same sound of the shofar opens the “Sholom Aleichem” story of Bontche Schweig, announcing the Job-like character’s arrival in heaven.

“The Dybbuk,” which was broadcast in 1960 on David Susskind’s syndicated TV series “The Play of the Week,” and “Bontche Schweig,” which along with Sholom Aleichem’s “Tale of Chelm” and “The High School” aired on the same show in 1959, have recently been released on DVD on eOne Home Video, just in time for the High Holidays.

Each DVD runs about two hours, and if one purchases both, one should be forewarned that it’s so hard to tear oneself away that one might as well block out four hours to watch both. In between the static lines of the old broadcasts, which lend both DVDs an authentic and antique aura, all four tales have elements of humor intertwined with sobering messages. (Perhaps the Chelm tales touch less on serious subjects than the others, but while one laughs at the Chelmites, it’s hard not to feel protective of them too.)

At the core of “The Dybbuk” is the often blurry boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead. Particularly in the High Holiday period leading up to the Yizkor memorial service for loved ones who have passed away, it’s easy to identify with Leah, daughter of the wealthy Sender, who flees from her bridegroom (who might just have wandered off the Chelm set) to the cemetery to conjure her lost love, the kabbalist and recently deceased Channon.

Whether it is Channon’s dybbuk which enters Leah or whether she herself invites her beloved’s memory into herself, Leah causes such a disturbance shunning her bridegroom that she is marched to the rabbi of a neighboring village to be exorcised. William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” (1973) has Georgetown as its backdrop-particularly that ominous flight of stairs, which has become such a pilgrimage site to fans-but the Dybbuk’s setting is far less glamorous. This is the shtetl, where old wives share bubba meises galore. But the rabbinic court is serious business, and the consulted rabbi even enlists the help of his own rabbi.

Many tallitot, black candles, white shrouds and Torah scrolls later, Channon is ordered to depart.  As the shofar is blown several times, Channon-possessed-Leah squirms and then seems to have a full-blown seizure. This shofar blowing has nothing to do with calling anyone to repentance; it’s an all-out battle cry summoning the angels of the heavens to lay siege to the dybbuk threatening Leah.

The shofars that herald the arrival of Bontche Schweig in heaven-in grand Shakespearean fashion, we are told early and often about the grand hero long before he actually arrives on set-are far more celebratory than those in dybbuk. (Though, it’s worth noting, both have at least one tekiyah gedola, as well as the other usual notes.)

Although the word on the heavenly street is that Bontche is so grand that even the forefather Avraham needs to be summoned to greet him, the recently deceased Bontche (we never know what brought about his end) turns out to be a kopek-a-dozen kind of guy, rather than the larger than life hero who had been announced. Bontche is dressed like a beggar, but the defending angel soon reveals that he has not said a word in his entire life, despite having suffered far greater troubles than even Iyov.

From: jewishpress.com http://www.jewishpress.com/sections/arts/the-blowing-of-the-shofar-in-sholom-aleichem-and-the-dybbuk/2011/10/05/

Sonoluminescense at Sinai

Sonoluminescense is the conversion of sound energy into light energy. Seth Putterman, a professor at University of California - Los Angeles, is a leading investigator of this phenomena. While it was first described in the scientific literature in 1934, Putterman suggests that an earlier account can be inferred in Torah. Exodus 20:18 where we are told that we saw the voice of shofar.

Is Putterman offering this as serious exegesis? You can put this claim into perspective when you realize his website also cites a comic book as another example of early research on the topic.

I heard him describe his research in a televised lecture. Paraphrasing him, he said his colleagues had difficulty accepting the findings in Torah. "After all, no data is given, the research was published in a non-peer reviewed book, and the results have not been replicated in another lab." To this last point, Putterman suggests that even God may have had funding limitations.

Carry on, Professor.

Medical Ethics and Shofar

While Jewish law may appear rigid, it is actually quite sensitive to the needs of individuals. Consider these points of medical ethics. On Rosh Hashanah:

It is prohibited to eat before the blowing of the shofar. (177)  However, if someone feels weak, he is allowed to recite the kiddush prayer and to eat a little food and drink coffee or tea; however, he should do so privately. (178)

Enjoy your breakfast before going to shul. This refers to eating lunch, which may be delayed while morning prayers and the musaf service drag on past noon.

If a sick patient is unable to go to the synagogue, one can blow the shofar at the bedside and one need not assemble a quorum of ten men. (180)

A minyan is never required to hear shofar; this teaching emphases that this applies especially to one that cannot attend communal worship.

If a hospitalized patient is unable to hear the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, he is excused. (181)

The person who blows shofar in the synagogue for the congregation can blow again later for an individual sick patient... (183)

I urge shofar blowers everywhere to visit the confined to sound shofar for the.

And my favorite:

If a cardiac patient who is forbidden by his physician to blow the shofar nevertheless does so, he has committed a transgression and has not fulfilled the commandment. (187)

The protection of life takes precedence. If there is ever a question about whether one is fit for blowing shofar, err on the side of caution and refrain from blowing.

Source: Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics, Avraham Steinberg, Fred Rosner, Feldheim Publishers, 2003, page 480

Notes:
177. Tosefta Shabbat 1:4; Magen Avraham 692:7.
178. Mateh Ephraim 588:2; Responsa Chatam Sofer, Orach Chayim, end of #7.
180. Mikra'ei Kodesh, Yamim Nora'im #16.
181. Responsa Iggrot Moshe, Orach Chayim, Part 1 #172.
183. Dagul Mervavah, Orach Chayim 589:5.
187. Responsa Minchat Yitzchak, Part 4 #102:2

Loving Kindness

Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz tells the following in the name of Rav Gedaliah Sheinen, a rosh yeshiva of a yeshiva in Yerushalayim:

Rav Sheinen has been blowing shofar for many years at the minyan at which Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv davens. After davening, Rav Sheinen goes with Rav Elyashiv to his two-room apartment and blows shofar again according the shitos of certain Rishonim whose opinions regarding the tekios are not codified in Shulchan Aruch. Those who wish to fulfill these opinions have additional sounds of the shofar blown according to all the different interpretations.

Twenty one years ago, on Rosh Hashanah, Rebbetzin Elyashiv was ill and unable to go to shul to hear the shofar. When Rav Sheinen finished blowing the extra tekios for Rav Elyashiv, he asked the gadol if he should go into the Rebbetzin’s room and blow the sounds according to the Shulchan Aruch so that the Rebbetzin could fulfill the mitzvah.

To his amazement, Rav Elyashiv told him not to. “Today is Sunday, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, so the obligation to hear shofar is only miderabonon. Women were not obligated to hear shofar, but they accepted the obligation upon themselves.” ‘Kiblu aleiyhu’ is the terminology in halacha. “Since it is a tirchah for you to blow more kolos, you should rather go home than blow.”

Rav Sheinen left the small apartment and was headed down the steps when he heard Rav Elyashiv coming after him. “Kumpt tzurik - Come back,” said Rav Elyashiv. “It’s true that the obligation to hear shofar today is only miderabonon, and for women it is an even lesser obligation, and that’s why I sent you away. But my wife will be so happy to hear the kol shofar, and by blowing for her, you will be doing a chesed, and chesed is a mide’oraisah. Therefore, I am asking you to come back. For a de’oraisah I can be matri’ach you.”

Rabbi Lipshultz explains, "There are many lessons that can be learned from this story. First and foremost, we see how all of our actions should be dictated by halacha and how, before accepting a favor from someone, we must weigh whether it is absolutely necessary to inconvenience that person. We see how we must be considerate about a person’s feelings. We learn that we must prioritize our obligations and understand how important chesed is."

The story is also a wonderful example of why we need to bring shofar to those who are unable to hear it in congregational worship. If not for halacha, do it for chesed, loving kindness.

The Economics of Shofar

The following, "An Economics Lesson from Rosh Hashanah" by Daniel Hamermesh appears on Freakonomics.com (10/26/2011):

The Jewish New Year is announced by blasts on a ram’s horn (shofar). Many people use much larger horns instead (a kudu, for example). This year, as part of the religious service, a woman picked up the ram’s horn to blow a few sounds, and not much came out—a few feeble toots. After squeaking out half the required notes, she switched to the kudu horn—she switched to additional capital. With the larger horn she blasted the entire congregation out of their seats—truly wonderful sounds.

Even in a religious service we can observe that the marginal product of labor is enhanced by additional capital—even in this context labor and capital are complements in production.

I have sent the author the following comment:

I fabricate shofarot and have taught thousands of people to blow shofar, and have published a three volume compendium of shofar information, so I believe I can address your comment with some authority.

1.  The size (length) of a shofar is not related to the ease of blowing nor the intensity (volume) of its sound output. Each instrument is unique, and the results produced will vary depending upon the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual condition of the blower in the moment.

2. A long kudu can cost less than a medium to large ram horn. This is related to supply more than demand; modern animal husbandry practices favor polled (hornless) breeds [of rams], and most males are slaughtered while still lambs.

Sounding shofar is a spiritual practice that may respond to rules outside of typical marketplace economics. Perhaps "Not by might and not by power, but by spirit alone." (Zechariah 4:6) is the operable rule.

Yet, even by marketplace rules, your interpretation may be flawed depending upon the criteria for value used to measure the production.  According to the laws of Jewish spiritual commerce, as codified in Talmud, the value is not in the production of sound but in the activity of hearing. When effective, the hearing provides a stimulus that can move a listener to undergo a transformation, such as a commitment to improve his or her behavior.

From this standpoint, the "feeble toots" on the ram's horn may have been more effective than the "truly wonderful sounds" of the kudu. The shofarist's struggles to emit a sound expressed the "brokenness" of the spirit that is often a precursor to transformation.

Additional information on these issues can be found at www.hearingshofar.com.