Giant Ankole Cow Horn Unfit for Jewish New Year Ritual

A massive horn from an Ankole cow, commonly found in East Africa, has been deemed unfit for use in the ritual sounding of the shofar during the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and the preceding month of Elul. The ruling is based on a clear Mishnah passage in the tractate Rosh Hashanah, which states, "All shofars are kosher except for that of a cow, because it is a horn." This prohibition stems from the fact that a cow's horn is considered a 'horn' rather than a 'shofar' in Jewish law. The article poses a hypothetical scenario for individuals in East Africa during the High Holidays who might find themselves without a proper shofar and consider using such a large Ankole cow horn, only to be informed of its ritual disqualification. The piece includes a photograph of the Ankole cow horn, credited to Yitzhak Carmeli, alongside a caption noting its size.