It is shofar season around the world, but no place more than Eretz Yisrael. Many of the shofars manufactured and imported to Israel come from Tunisia and Morocco as well as other ‘Arab’ countries.
One of the shofar makers explains that in Islamic countries, many sheep are slaughtered for the Feast of the Sacrifice as each family member must slaughter a sheep. This results in a surplus of horns and many are turned into shofars.
The Badatz Eida Chareidis is on the lookout for imposters, and there are many! Badatz rabbonim add there are others concerns, such as the shofars that have been repaired with glue or holes plugged and so-forth.
At times it is virtually impossible to detect such repairs and that is why a shofar should have a hashgacha to verify its integrity from the beginning of the process until the sale.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
The article implies, but doesn’t say directly, that the horns of a goat that was schechted as part of a muslim yom tov celebration are assur for use as a shofar. Makes sense since it was not prepared l’shem mitzvah.
Gadolhadorah – Please check out your assumption that a shofar needs “lishma”.
I bought a Shofar from Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Meisner (718-810-0130) in Boro Park, its a very high quality easy to blow Shofar under the supervision of the BADATZ EIDA HACHAREIDIS JERUSALEM, his specialty is to match to every baal tokea the Shofar good for him. it was worth my long trip.
the shulchan aruch states that a shofar need not be prepared leshem mitzvah. (586:2)The shulchan aruch also states that the shofar with a hole in it is ok. though. (586:7)may not be mehudar (id)