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

Illustration of shofar

Did you know?

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

Recent Examples on the Web

At a campaign rally in October, a huge screen with the image of a man wearing a Jewish prayer shawl and blowing a shofar suddenly illuminated the stadium. —Leila Miller, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2023

Tikvah holds a community High Holiday celebration and services with traditional blowing of the shofar (ram’s horn) at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15 and 9:30 a.m. Sept. 16 led by Cantor Larry Kornit on the campus of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 925 Balour Drive, and via Zoom. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2023

Several Jewish men blew a shofar, the ram’s horn used on Rosh Hashana. —Somini Sengupta, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023

According to McNair, churches who don’t have bell towers were going to use hand bells in front of the church to mark the moment of the bombing and a Jewish temple will blow the shofar. —Williesha Morris | [e-mail], al, 15 Sep. 2023

Among those tasked to blow the shofar was Stanley Cohn of Skokie, who organized the shofar blowers for the occasion. —Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2022

Another Kharkiv recruit headed for the battle zone asked Moskovitz to tutor him on blowing the shofar, the ram’s horn that is sounded for Rosh Hashana and a few other occasions. —Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023

Sounding the Shofar Hearing the sound of the shofar, a ceremonial musical instrument made out of a ram’s horn, is one of the most important traditions associated with Rosh Hashanah. —Alesandra Dubin, Country Living, 29 Aug. 2023

The services end with closing prayers and well as the blowing of the shofar, a horn. —Alesandra Dubin, Good Housekeeping, 22 Aug. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew shōphār

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

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