Dear Moshe,

The Mitzvah of Shofar on Rosh haShanah is to listen to the sound of the Shofar, not to blow it. Here are two clear proofs of that:

1) The Shulchan Aruch (OC 585:2) quotes the Rosh who quotes the Talmud Yerushalmi that says that the correct wording of the Berachah on the Mitzvah of Shofar is "Lishmoa Kol Shofar" and not "Litkoa b'Shofar". The reason is, as the Mishnah Berurah explains, that the Mitzvah of Shofar is to listen to the Shofar blasts, not to blow it.

2) Again, the Shulchan Aruch (OC 586:2) quotes the Rosh who quotes the Talmud Yerushalmi that says that if one steals a Shofar and blows it, those listening to him - and even he himself - fulfill their Mitvah requirement. This is true even though normally we say that one cannot perform a Mitzvah with a stolen object - as in the case of a stolen Lulav (Sukkah 29b). The Rambam explains why there is a difference between a Shofar and a Lulav: the Mitzvah of Shofar is listening to the sound of the Shofar and you can't steal a sound, therefore the Mitzvah is good. By Lulav, the Mitzvah is to hold the Lulav, and a Lulav is something that can be stolen, therefore the Mitzvah is no good.

One of the ramifications of this is that a deaf person cannot fulfill the Mitzvah of Shofar and cannot even blow Shofar for those that can hear.

All the best,

Yonasan Sigler

This is not a Psak Halachah