shofar

noun

sho·far ˈshō-ˌfär

-fər

plural shofroth shō-ˈfrōt

-ˈfrōth,

-ˈfrōs

: the horn of a ruminant animal and usually a ram blown as a trumpet by the ancient Hebrews in battle and during religious observances and used in modern Judaism especially during Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur

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One of the shofar's original uses was to proclaim the Jubilee year (a year of emancipation of enslaved Jews and restoration of alienated lands to their former owners). Today, it is mainly used in synagogues during the High Holidays. It is blown daily, except on Shabbat, during the month of Elul (the 12th month of the civil year or the 6th month of the ecclesiastical year in the Jewish calendar), and is sounded a number of times during the Rosh Hashanah services, and again at the end of the last service (known as neilah) on Yom Kippur. The custom is to sound the shofar in several series that alternate shorter notes resembling sobbing and wailing with longer unbroken blasts.

Examples of shofar in a Sentence

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Another important observance is the blowing of the shofar, or a curved ram’s horn. —

Zach Bradshaw, The Arizona Republic, 11 Oct. 2024 The shofar is sounded ceremonially to conclude Yom Kippur. —

Zach Bradshaw, The Arizona Republic, 11 Oct. 2024 The shofar is sounded ceremonially to conclude Yom Kippur, Kranjec said. —

Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Oct. 2024 There was Isaac, a boy who carried around a miniature shofar in his pocket and blew it at inopportune times, though arguably there are few opportune times to blow a ram’s horn in modern life. —

Nicolaia Rips, The New Yorker, 21 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for shofar