Can one tekiya be comprised of two different sounds?

The Gemara states that any sound that comes out of a shofar is acceptable for the mitzvah of tekiyas shofar. Although the sound may be low, scratchy and muffled, it is still valid. If the sound of the shofar changes mid-blast to a different pitch, the poskim say that it is still acceptable. Although it is recorded in the name of Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin zt”l that he was stringent in requiring that the sound stay exactly the same throughout the blast, the poskim explain that this is only a hiddur mitzvah and is not necessary for the fulfillment of the mitzvah.

Must a shofar be free of holes?

A hole in a shofar does not invalidate it. If the hole changed the sound of the shofar, however, the Rema rules that it should only be used if there are no other shofros available. If holes cover most of a shofar, it is invalid. Although it is not absolutely necessary, many people are careful that the shofar should be free of any holes. Some even pour water into the shofar to test for leaks.

Which materials may be used to plug the hole of a shofar?

If the hole in a shofar was sealed, it is still kosher—as long as the following three stipulations are met: 1) the plug must be made of the same material as the shofar, 2) the shofar must retain its original sound, and 3) the majority of the original shofar must be intact. The Rishonim disagree about whether the plugging material must come from a kosher shofar or whether it can come from any animal, even those whose horns are not valid for shofar. A third opinion holds that it must be from the same material as the shofar it is plugging. For example, a ram’s horn may only be plugged from another horn of a ram.

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