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    Shofar vs trumpet – Ask the Rabbi

    Q. Why is the shofar so primitive without a mouthpiece like a trumpet?

    ShofarA. Rav Kook made a distinction. The shofar, he said, was not the only musical instrument known in ancient times. Ordinary trumpets were also known and used.

    The difference was that the shofar was simple and crude whilst the trumpet was the product of technology.

    The trumpet represented man’s scientific achievements; the shofar symbolised the things that were natural and uncomplicated.

    The Torah required man to use the shofar, not the trumpet, in order to hear the direct call of the Divine.

    The musicality of the trumpet had its place, but it was the shofar that aroused the human conscience.

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