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Rosh Hashanah

Posted by ESC on September 16, 2004

The (Merriam-Webster) Word of the Day for September 16, 2004, is:

shofar \SHOH-far\ noun
: a ram's-horn trumpet blown 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

Example sentence:
The first blast of the shofar echoed within the sanctuary, announcing the beginning of the High Holy Days.

Did you know?
One of the shofar's original uses was to proclaim the Jubilee year (a year of emancipation of Hebrew slaves and restoration of alienated lands to their former owners) or the anointing of a new king. Today, it is mainly used in synagogues during the High Holy Days. It is blown during the month of Elul (the 12th month of the civil year or the 6th month of the ecclesiastical year in the Jewish calendar) until the end of Rosh Hashanah and again at the end of the last service on Yom Kippur as reminders to attend to spiritual matters. The custom is to sound the shofar in broken notes resembling sobbing and wailing followed by a long unbroken sound.

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A new year's primer
By Honi Marlene Goldman
Special to The Courier-Journal
September 15, 2004
Rosh Hashanah. The Jewish New Year.

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