(This timely piece was originally posted on the blog last year, but I am reposting it for all those interested and all those who joined my readership this year)
My father ז''ל was Baal Tokeah in Breuer's from 1958 until he retired in 1987. He was well known for his mastery of the more challenging "yekkish" teruohs, which involve manipulation and control of the diaphragm, as opposed to the tongue. To my mind, these teruohs sound more like actual sobbing than the traditional ones.
I do not have any sound recordings of my father's talents, but if any of his students who read this blog are in possession of such a thing, you know where to find me ;).
I have long maintained though, that every shofar has a "voice" and when my son Michael blows my father's preferred shofar in the same manner in which he was taught - and if I close my eyes, I am transported back in time.
Jnet Users: This video can be accessed on KosherTube here.
11 comments:
Is that recording of Michael?
It is indeed.
wow! thank you for that. I never knew that there is specific yekkish shofar blowing!
Don't count me as someone who joined the blog and didn't see it because i read every post from the beginning.
Are the shevarim terouhs neshima achas or two neshimos?
Brisker-
Michael is probably learning now so G6 might have to wait to find out the answer
I thought your father preferred the black one ?
BLD -
My father's preferred shofar was indeed the one in the photo, which DOES have quite a bit of black on it, though I agree with you that it is not so evident from that angle.
The Minhag Ashkenaz is two breaths for the Tekios before & during Shemoneh Esrei.
In fact (I'm basing this on a recording of Cazzan Bloendahl of Amsterdam), the Makri says Shevorim, the Shevorim is blown, the Makri says Teruoh and the Teruoh is blown.
FYI (especially for all the non-Aryan readers), they follow the Minhog mentioned in the Gemoro of only 10 sounds during Chazoras Hashatz & no sounds during the silent Shemoneh Esrei. They also say different Psukim, in a different order, on the second day of Rosh Hashonoh Malchuyos, Zichronos & Shoforos.
The first time I was privleged to here Mchael blow that Shofar so many years after I last heard your father blow it, I was standing in a hopsital room in CPMC. I closed my eyes and was back in the shul all those years ago, with all the feelings and emotions of the Yom Hadin, with the addition of chills and goosebumps. Your father's voice clearly lives on through that amazing shofar and Michael's mastery of it.
יישר כחך
הרב בנימין שלמה המבורגר שליט"א pointed out that the Yemenites blow the teruah the same way. He said that some people go to hear different additional shofar blowings after davening, to make sure they are yotzei lichol hadeios, and in Eretz Yisroel it is a style among some, along such lines, to go hear the 'teruah Teimanit' from Yemenites. He stated, however, that (although they don't realize it), the 'teruah Teimanit' is actually a 'teruah Yekkeit'! He wondered why they run to hear a 'teruah Teimanit' and not a 'teruah Yekkeit' by a Yekkishe minyan.
There is also a different type of tekiah, not totally flat (also heard from Rav H.), but that is a different discussion.
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