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    Which end of the shofar? – Ask the Rabbi

    Q. Why do we blow the shofar from the narrower and not the wider end?

    A. It would be almost impossible to produce a sound from the wider end and so your question is not a real question.

    But since the shofar is a call from the heart, it is more appropriate to use the narrower end, since the Psalmist says, “From the straits do I call upon God” (Psalm 118:5). The context of Psalm 118 appears to be a cry from a poet trapped in the midst of enemies and difficulties.

    Like the poet, we cry to God to bring us out of suffering and to let us emerge into safety. We might also say that we need Divine assistance to broaden our concerns and raise out sights so that we do not remain trapped in narrow concerns and opinions.

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