September 2023
In contrast, the bracha over shofar is
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לִשְׁמֹעַ קוֹל שׁוֹפָר
baruch atta adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu lishmo’a kol shofar.
We bless You, Adonai our God, Eternal Sovereign, for imbuing our lives with sanctity by commanding us to hear the sound of shofar.
The bracha is in the singular, i.e., the commandment is to hear the sound, the KOL — not sounds — of shofar.
The blower is acting on behalf of the kahal, the listeners, and is included in the commandment to hear. If the blower is distracted, or otherwise not focusing on the action, feh! The blower needs to be attentive to the sounds, to their quality and pacing, while being sensitive to the desired effect the sound should have on the listeners, blower included.
Shana tova!