shofar

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The Word of the Day for September 16 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.