By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER<\/p>\n
Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 3:2 stipulates: \u201cAll Shofars are kosher for performing the Mitzvah \u2013 except the horn of a cow.\u201d The reason given by the Mishnah is that the horn of a cow is referred to as a \u201cKeren\u201d \u2013 as distinguished from other animal horns to which the term \u201cShofar\u201d is applied. (See Rosh Hashanah 26a.)<\/p>\n
Others suggest that the cow horn is disqualified because its layered anatomical structure \u2013 bony core, surrounded by connective tissue, all within a keratin sheath \u2013 constitutes a series of nested horns, not a single horn as required for a kosher Shofar.<\/p>\n
Disqualification of the cow horn may simply reflect the close association of the Shofar with the ram caught by its horns in a thicket, and sacrificed instead of Isaac during the Akeidah (see Genesis 22), read from the Torah on Rosh Hashanah. Though the specific species of ram is unknown, it was certainly not a cow Abraham sacrificed!<\/p>\n
The most popular explanation for rejection of the cow horn is that it would serve as an ill-timed reminder of the sin of the Golden Calf. In our collective quest for divine forgiveness, we ought not introduce incriminating evidence!!<\/p>\n
Species permitted for Shofar abound: ram (ovis aries<\/em>), mountain goat, African antelope, ibex, oryx, eland, gemsbok, gazelle, etc. So…<\/p>\n Don\u2019t have a cow!<\/p>\n Rabbi Joseph H. Prouser is the editor of \u201cMasorti: The New Journal of Conservative Judaism.\u201d The latest edition of Masorti published in the summer of 2026 and honors the American Sestercentennial. A subscription is $18 per annum. Print copies are available from Ben Yehuda Press and Amazon.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Share](\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\")