The piercing sound of the shofar is one of the most powerful moments in the synagogue service on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. There are three distinct types of shofar blasts, each one carrying deep emotional and spiritual significance.

The Three Shofar Sounds

The tekiah is a single long blast, unbroken and steady.

The shevarim consists of three medium bursts. These resemble a sighing tone, like someone moaning from deep worry.

The teruah is a series of (at least) nine staccato blasts, likened to a wailing or sobbing cry.1

Together, these sounds express different kinds of human crying, meant to awaken within us deep emotion and repentance.

Read more: The Sound of the Shofar

The Order of the Blasts: Tashrat, Tashat, and Tarat

The blasts are blown in three different sequences, where each name is a combination that reflects the order of the blasts:

  1. Tashrat: Tekiah - Shevarim - Teruah - Tekiah, which looks like this:

_______ | ___ ___ ___ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | _______

  1. Tashat: Tekiah - Shevarim - Tekiah , which looks like this:

_______ | ___ ___ ___ | _______

  1. Tarat: Tekiah - Teruah - Tekiah, which looks like this:

_______ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | _______

The above sequence is sounded during the Amidah prayer of Rosh Hashanah and also at the end of Ne’ilah on Yom Kippur.

The first time the shofar is blown each day of Rosh Hashanah, each of these sequences is repeated three times, for a total of 30 shofar blasts:

Tashrat Tashrat Tashrat

Tashat Tashat Tashat

Tarat Tarat Tarat

_______ | ___ ___ ___ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | _______

_______ | ___ ___ ___ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | _______

_______ | ___ ___ ___ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | _______

_______ ___ ___ ___ _______

_______ ___ ___ ___ _______

_______ ___ ___ ___ _______

_______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _______

_______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _______

_______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __________

Note that the final tekiah of the final sequence is extra long. This is known as a tekiah gedolah, a giant tekiah. This last long blast of the shofar carries a more uplifting tone, as it reminds us of the Great Day when the Great Shofar will sound to gather all the exiles with the coming of Moshiach and the Final Redemption.

How Long Must the Blasts Be?

The shevarim must be as long as the nine blasts of the teruah. And the tekiah blasts must be as long as whichever sounds they surround. Thus, the tekiahs of tashrat must be as long as both a shevarim and a teruah, which is a minimum of the time it takes to make 18 staccato blasts.2