shofar

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 17, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>shofar</strong> &#149; \SHOH-far\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p>A shofar is the horn of an animal (usually a ram) blown as a trumpet by the ancient Hebrews in battle and during religious observances. It is used in modern Judaism especially during <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Rosh%20Hashanah">Rosh Hashanah</a> and at the end of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Yom%20Kippur">Yom Kippur</a>.</p> <p>// As a child, Eli's favorite part of the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high%20holidays">High Holidays</a> was the sounding of the <em>shofar</em>. </p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shofar">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Synagogues will also blow a <em>shofar</em>, a curved ram's horn, during Rosh Hashanah. There are many interpretations of the <em>shofar</em>’s meaning. One is that it represents the biblical story told in Genesis, in which Abraham sacrifices a ram instead of his son, Isaac. Rabbis have also interpreted the loud blast of the <em>shofar</em> as a wake-up call for the new year. [Rabbi Charlie] Schwartz called the sounding of the <em>shofar</em> 'the pinnacle of the Rosh Hashanah service in synagogues.'" — Marina Pitofsky, <em>USA Today</em>, 2 Sept. 2021</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>One of the shofar's original uses was to proclaim the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jubilee">Jubilee</a> year (a year of emancipation of enslaved Jews and restoration of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alienate">alienated</a> lands to their former owners). Today, it is mainly used in synagogues during the High Holidays. It is blown daily, except on <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Sh