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An Invitation to be Part of Shofar Corps

Hearing shofar during the New Year reawakens faith and inspires hope. Unfortunately, many individuals are unable to attend synagogue services to hear shofar. They are confined to hospital beds or in nursing homes, incarcerated in jails and prison, homebound due to pregnancy or family obligations, or too sick or frail to travel. Instead, the shofar must travel to them.

Sounding shofar for the confined fulfils two mitzvot – commandments. It enables others hear shofar. And it is an act of bikur cholim – the mitzvah to visit the sick. Organizing a community-wide cadre of volunteers – a Shofar Corps – is a wonderful tikkun olam project – an opportunity to help repair the world.

Shofar Corps Volunteers Say

“We were able to visit everyone in the dining room during lunch at an assisted living facility. We gave a bit of history and blew shofar with everyone applauding at the end. Then, one woman came running up and hugged us and thanked us so much! It was wonderful to reach so many residents at one time.”

“Today was amazing for the four of us who went to blow shofar for residents confined to their hospital beds. It moved us all as we watched the residents so touched that it brought them to tears, and then it brought all of us to tears. Hearing them say that our visit has now connected them back their Judaism again was such a blessing.”

“Everyone was so grateful that we were there and hadn't forgotten them.”

“We blew shofar at a home for those with memory impairments. Just saying the word “tekiah” triggered a couple of people's memories, and they would light up like a happy kid. We led the Shehechayanu and translated it, giving thanks for being right here, right now. These people are in the Right Now – each moment is a new day for many of them. That's my takeaway message: being present, and in so being, there is the possibility of joy in each moment.”

“I remember with fondness the time you spent last Yom Kippur blowing the shofar for our nursing home residents that were too frail or ill to attend services in the chapel.  This was a deeply moving experience for many of our residents.  As well, I feel grateful to have been witness to this symbolic and important event.”

Jailhouse Shofar

For several years, I sounded shofar in the Los Angeles County Men's Central Prison. In Talmud, there is a discussion about blowing the shofar inside a cistern; one is supposed to hear the sound of the shofar directly and not the sound echoing off the walls. That can be a challenge when blowing shofar inside a concrete bunker at what is described as the “Largest Prison in the Free World" because the walls echo with the sound of so many of society's failings plus the fears and uncertainty facing the residents.

Yet all the Holidays' messages about teshuvah – that personal improvement can really happen – are so much clearer when discussed with someone who has seen the darkness of violence, addiction, crime, and incarceration. Rabbi Yossi Carron, the chaplain who works with the men, used the themes of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to help the men understand that forgiveness is possible and that, by taking responsibility for their actions, their future do have to be limited by their pasts.

The residents recognized that I was in the prison by choice; it was meaningful for them to know that they were not forgotten by or completely cut-off from the outside world. Some had never heard a shofar before and were trying to reconnect with their Jewish heritage to help them have faith in their future. One told me that the sound of shofar burned into his heart where he will be able to hear it again throughout the coming year, drawing upon it for the strength to support his recovery. As the guards were preparing to strip search him after our brief visit, he said, “If I can keep hearing it, it will remind me of what the rabbi has told us. Then, maybe, this can be my last time in prison.” All I could say to that was, “AMEN!”

Organizing Shofar Corps in Your Community

As a ba’al tekiah – shofar blower – you have the opportunity to provide service beyond the walls of your synagogue by sounding shofar for individuals who are homebound, hospitalized, institutionalized, or otherwise unable to observe the High Holy Days in the midst of a congregation. This can be a double mitzvah since it fulfills both the commandment to visit the sick (bikur cholim) and to enable others to fulfill the commandment of hearing shofar.

For several years, I participated in a monthly Shabbat service at a nursing home. Several of our minyan were unable to speak and were locked in bodies that they no longer controlled. Yet somehow, I could sense that even their souls were moved when they heard the shofar at our New Year’s gathering. A shofar blower at another nursing home reports that, “After I blew the shofar…one man came up to me and said, “Young man, that’s the first sound I’ve heard in 30 years.” Miracles like this happen when shofar sounds.

Hearing the shofar can be especially meaningful to those who are ill and living with the intimate knowledge that their days may be numbered. The call of the shofar may reassure them that, in sickness as in health, we each stand before God as the Holy One passes judgment. For the dying and their families, prayers of teshuvah take on a special urgency, and hearing shofar may give them comfort.

While this outreach can be undertaken as an individual effort, it is a wonderful project for a congregation or spiritual community to undertake. At Makom Ohr Shalom, for example, our Shofar Corps has become a service project that raises the ruach – spirit – of the congregation even as it serves the community. Volunteers contact local institutions before Rosh Hashanah to find out who needs a visit and to make arrangements. Then other volunteers, either individually or in small teams, spread out throughout the community. Our slogan: “Have shofar. Will travel.”

Guidelines for Blowing Shofar for the Sick and Confined

1. You are performing a mitzvah, an act of holiness, by enabling others to hear the sound of shofar. It is also a mitzvah, to visit the sick and confined.

2. Be respectful of the person you are visiting and others in the room. Your shofar blasts are still effective if you blow quietly to avoid scaring people. If someone does not want to hear you blow shofar, do not blow for them; wish them a sweet New Year and leave.

3. Be respectful of the institution you are visiting and heed its rules and staff’s instructions. Check in with the visitor liaison or nursing station before going to someone’s room. Even if you scheduled a visit, understand that plans may have to adjust to the current situation in the facility. Knock before entering a person’s room. Illness can make a person more sensitive to smells, so use moderation if applying perfume or a fragrance. When visiting the infirm, wash your hands before and after shaking hands with or otherwise touching a patient.

4. Lower your expectations about how you or your shofar blowing will be received. A person, especially if ill or confined, may respond to shofar or your presence with anger, sadness, fear, confusion, or other unexpected behavior. Trust in the holiness of your intentions and stay focused on the mitzvah.

5. A person who is sick may want to talk or want more personal attention than you are able to give; you do not become responsible for all their needs just because you have visited. Be civil and loving, but know your limits.

6. Do not become embroiled in discussions about Jewish sectarian issues or inter-religious discussion. For example, some Orthodox Jewish men may not want to hear shofar blown by a woman.

7. Visiting the sick and hearing shofar can bring up feelings inside you; you may want to ask a friend to go with you for support.

8. If you are asked to visit a private home, be aware of your surroundings and security concerns. Ask someone to come with you if necessary.

9. The family members and caregivers of the person you are visiting may also appreciate hearing shofar. Non-Jewish roommates or staff for example may also respond to or be curious about shofar. While you are at an institution, ask if there are other residents or staff that may want to hear shofar.

10. Listen to shofar while you blow. Do not worry about the quality of your shofar calls; this is holy work and not a concert. All sounds from the shofar are acceptable.

For additional guidelines for visiting the sick, see Give Me Your Hand and the Bikur Cholim Coordinating Council.

Supporting Shofar Corps

This website would like to be a clearinghouse to share ideas and experiences among shofarists in various communities. If you have a shofar team in your community, please contact this website to share your experiences and successes.

While Shofar Corps is volunteer driven, there can be administrative expenses, and financial support is needed to help provide training and to expand the service. If you would like to donate to Shofar Corps, click here.