And that is that He commanded us to listen to the sound of the shofar on the first day of Tishrei. And that is His, may He be exalted, saying, "it shall be a day of blowing for you" (Numbers 29:1). And the laws of this commandment have already been explained in Tractate Rosh Hashanah. (See Parashat Pinchas; Mishneh Torah, Shofar, Sukkah and Lulav 1.)

In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a sacred occasion: you shall not work at your occupations. You shall observe it as a day when the horn is sounded.

It is a positive commandment from the Torah to hear the sounding of the shofar on Rosh HaShanah, as [Numbers 29:1] states: "It shall be a day of sounding [the ram's horn] for you."The shofar, which is sounded both on Rosh HaShanah and for the yovel, is a bent ram's horn. All shofarot other than that of a ram are unacceptable.Even though the sounding of the shofar on Rosh HaShanah is not explicitly mentioned in the Torah [it was derived by our Sages in the following manner]. Concerning the yovel, [Leviticus 25:9] states: "You shall make a proclamation, sounding the shofar... you shall proclaim with the shofar." The oral tradition explains that just as the "sounding" required by the Torah in the yovel requires a shofar, so, too, the "sounding" on Rosh HaShanah requires a shofar.

The minimum size of a shofar is [a measure] sufficient that one may hold the shofar in one's hands [with the ends] visibly [protruding] on either side.Should a shofar be cracked lengthwise, it is unacceptable. Should it be cracked along its width - if a measure equivalent to the minimum size of a shofar remains, it is kosher. It is considered as if it were cut off at the place of the crack.[Regarding a shofar with] a hole: If it was plugged with another substance, it is unacceptable. If it was plugged with its own kind, it is kosher [under the following conditions]:the majority of the shofar remained whole;the plugging of the holes did not alter its sound.If one [merely] perforated the insides of the horn, [but did not remove them,] it is kosher, because a substance of the same kind is not considered an intervening entity. Should one stick together fragments of shofarot until one has constructed a shofar, it is unacceptable.

If one made any addition to a shofar - whether of its kind or from another substance - it is unacceptable.Should one coat it with gold from the inside or at the mouthpiece, it is unacceptable. Should one coat it on the outside: If its sound is changed from what it was originally, it is not acceptable. If its sound did not change, it is kosher.Should one place one shofar within another: If one hears the sound of the inner shofar, one has fulfilled one's obligation. If one hears the outer shofar, one has not fulfilled one's obligation.Should one widen the narrow portion of the shofar and narrow its wider end, the shofar is unacceptable.

If a shofar was long and one shortened it, it is kosher. If one scraped away the horn - either from the inside or from the outside - even if one did so to the extent that all that remained was the thin external shell, it is kosher.Regardless of whether [the shofar's] sound is heavy, thin, or raspy, it is kosher, because all the sounds produced by the shofar are kosher.

When a person sounds a shofar within a pit or within a cave, those standing within the pit or cave fulfill their obligation. Concerning those standing outside: If they hear the sound of the shofar, they fulfill their obligation. If they hear the sound of an echo, they do not fulfill their obligation.Similar principles apply regarding one who blows into a giant barrel. If he hears the sound of a shofar, he fulfills his obligation. If he hears an echo, he does not fulfill his obligation.

Everyone is obligated to hear the sounding of the shofar: priests, levites, Israelites, converts, and freed slaves. However, women, slaves, and minors are free of the obligation.A person who is half slave and half free, a tumtum, and an androgynous are obligated [to hear shofar].

Whoever is not [himself] obligated regarding this matter cannot facilitate the performance of the mitzvah for one who is obligated. Thus, if a woman or a minor blows the shofar, one who hears does not fulfill his obligation.An androgynous can facilitate the performance of the mitzvah for one of his kind, but not for one who is not of his kind. A tumtum cannot facilitate the performance of the mitzvah [for anyone], whether of his kind or not of his kind, for if [the layer of skin covering] the tumtum's [genitalia] is cut open, it is possible that it will be discovered that the tumtum is a male, but it is possible that it will be discovered that the tumtum is a female.

A person who occupies himself with blowing the shofar in order to learn does not fulfill his obligation. Similarly, one who hears the shofar from a person who blows it casually does not fulfill his obligation.If the person hearing had the intention of fulfilling his obligation, but the person blowing did not have the intention of facilitating the latter's performance of the mitzvah, or the person blowing had the intention of facilitating his colleague's performance of the mitzvah, but the person hearing did not have the intention of fulfilling his obligation, [the person hearing] did not fulfill his obligation. Rather, both the person hearing and the one allowing him to hear must have the [proper] intention.

If a person blew the shofar with the intention of enabling all those hearing his blowing to perform the mitzvah, and a listener heard while having the intention to fulfill his obligation - even though the person blowing did not have a specific intention that this individual would hear his blowing, nor did he know about him - the listener has fulfilled his obligation, because the blower had in mind all those who heard him.Accordingly, if a person was traveling on a journey or was sitting in his home and heard the teki'ot from the person leading the congregation, he has fulfilled his obligation if he had that intention, since the leader of the congregation had the intention of enabling the many to fulfill their obligation.

If the festival of Rosh Hashanah falls on the Sabbath, the shofar is not sounded in every place. [This law was enacted] even though blowing [the shofar] was forbidden only as sh'vut.It would be appropriate for [the shofar] to be sounded, for a positive commandment of the Torah should supersede sh'vut instituted by the Sages. If so, why is the shofar not sounded?Because of a decree [of the Sages] lest a person take it in his hands and carry it to a colleague so that the latter can blow for him, and [in the process,] carry it four cubits in the public domain or transfer it from one domain to another, and thus violate a prohibition punishable by being stoned to death. [This is necessary because] all are obligated in the mitzvah of blowing the shofar, but not all are skilled in it.

When [the Sages] decreed not to sound [the shofar] on the Sabbath, they applied that decree only to places which lacked a court. However, while the Temple was standing and the Supreme Court was seated in Jerusalem, everyone would sound the shofar in Jerusalem throughout the entire period the court held its sessions there.[This did not apply] to the people of Jerusalem alone. Rather, every city that was within the outer limits of Jerusalem and [whose inhabitants] could:see Jerusalem - i.e., excluding those within a wadi;hear the shofar blown in Jerusalem - i.e., excluding those on the mountaintops; andtravel to Jerusalem - i.e., excluding those separated by a wadi from the citythe people of these cities would blow the shofar on the Sabbath as in Jerusalem. However, in the other cities of Israel, they would not sound [the shofar on the Sabbath].

At present, while the Temple is destroyed, wherever a court whose judges received semichah in Eretz Yisrael permanently holds sessions, the shofar is sounded on the Sabbath. Furthermore, the shofar is sounded on the Sabbath only in a court that has sanctified the new moon. However, the shofar will not be sounded in other courts, even though their judges have received semichah. Also, the shofar is sounded only in the presence of a high court.It may be sounded during the entire time they are in session. Even after they have begun preparing to rise - as long as they have not risen - the shofar may be sounded before them. However, outside the court, the shofar may not be sounded.Why is the shofar allowed to be sounded in the court? Because the court is scrupulous [in the observance of the mitzvot] and, in its presence, those who blow the shofar will not carry the shofar in the public domain, for the court will warn the people and inform them.

In the present age, when we celebrate Rosh Hashanah in the exile for two days, the shofar is sounded on the second day just as it is sounded on the first.If the first day falls on the Sabbath, those who were not in the presence of a court fit to blow the shofar on the Sabbath may blow the shofar on the second day alone.

How many shofar blasts is a person required to hear on Rosh Hashanah? Nine.[This figure is derived as follows]: The Torah mentions the word תרועה [sounding the shofar] three times in association with Rosh Hashanah and the Yovel. Every תרועה must be preceded and followed by a [single] long blast. According to the oral tradition, we learned that - whether on Rosh Hashanah or on Yom Kippur of the Yovel - all the soundings of the shofar of the seventh month are a single entity.Thus, nine shofar blasts must be sounded on both of them: teki'ah, teru'ah, teki'ah; teki'ah, teru'ah, teki'ah; teki'ah, teru'ah, teki'ah.

Over the passage of the years and throughout the many exiles, doubt has been raised concerning the teru'ah which the Torah mentions, to the extent that we do not know what it is:Does it resemble the wailing with which the women cry when they moan, or the sighs which a person who is distressed about a major matter will release repeatedly? Perhaps a combination of the two - sighing and the crying which will follow it - is called teru'ah, because a distressed person will sigh and then cry? Therefore, we fulfill all [these possibilities].

The crying refers to what we call teru'ah. The repeated sighs refer to what we call three shevarim.Thus, the order of blowing the shofar is as follows: First, one recites the blessing and sounds a teki'ah; afterwards, three shevarim; and afterwards, a teru'ah; and afterwards, a teki'ah. He repeats this pattern [until he completes] three series.[Then,] he sounds a teki'ah; afterwards, three shevarim; and afterwards, a teki'ah. He repeats this pattern [until he completes] three series.[Then,] he sounds a teki'ah; afterwards, a teru'ah; and afterwards, a teki'ah. He repeats this pattern [until he completes] three series.Thus, there are a total of thirty shofar blasts, in order to remove any doubt.

The following is the commonly accepted custom for blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah in the communal services:After the Torah is read and returned to its place, the congregation is seated. One person stands and recites the blessing:Blessed are You, God, Lord of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to hear the sounding of the shofar.The entire congregation responds "Amen." He then recites the blessing shehecheyanu, and the entire congregation responds "Amen" to him. Thirty shofar blasts are sounded in the proper order.Kaddish is recited. The congregation stands and recites the musaf service. After the chazan completes the fourth blessing - i.e., Malchuyot - a teki'ah, three shevarim, a [series of] teru'ot, and a teki'ah are sounded once.He then recites the fifth blessing - i.e., Zichronot. After he completes the blessing, a teki'ah, three shevarim, and a teki'ah are sounded. He then recites the sixth blessing - i.e., Shofarot. After he completes the blessing, a teki'ah, a [series of] teru'ot, and a teki'ah are sounded once, and he concludes the prayers.