Shofar: The Movie

What is a shofar? What do its calls — tekiah, shevarim, teruah — mean? Why does it send a chill down our spines and a shiver in our hearts?

Jeremiah Lockwood, lead singer and guitarist for The Sway Machinery, has a few answers.

‘Tis the season — the season, that is, to think about our year, our lives, and everything we’ve done right or wrong. (In a bizarre twist, it isn’t that different from the Santa Claus take on Christmas…we’re just not as materialistic about it.)

That, Jeremiah says, is why we have the shofar. It’s not like praying or speaking or giving a sermon — it’s just a single, sustained, wordless blast. The shofar doesn’t have any notes or volume control. Any time you blow into it, you’re getting it 100%. It’s beyond apologies, beyond words — it’s just supposed to grip you.

Discover More

Sway Machinery: Now, Take Them Home

The Sway Machinery, who were the subjects of an interview in these pages right before Rosh Hashanah, are celebrating a ...

What Is a Shofar?

Jeremiah Lockwood shows how to blow the ram's horn for Rosh Hashanah.

The Blaxploitation Shofar

This post came our way courtesy of Alan Jay Sufrin, singer/guitarist/bassist/keyboardist for the band Stereo Sinai. He’s also the official ...