How Sounding the Shofar Became a Rosh Hashanah Tradition

Central to the celebration of Rosh Hashanah is the trumpeting sounds of a shofar, an ancient ritual instrument made from the horn of an animal, typically a ram. Beyond the Jewish New Year, Jews blow the shofar during other holidays and religious customs.

The four traditional sounds a shofar makes—tekiah, shevarim, teruah and tekiah gedolah—resemble crying. For observant Jews, hearing these calls is meant to prompt self-reflection and repentance for sins committed during the past year.

The shofar originated in ancient Israel and predates Judaism, meaning the horn is more than 3,500 years old. Some scholars suggest it was first used in pagan rituals to scare away demons on the new year.

The first recorded mention of the shofar is in the Bible’s Book of Exodus. However, the commandment to sound the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, which begins at the start of the Jewish calendar’s seventh month, is found elsewhere in the Bible. The Book of Leviticus states, “In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts,” and the Book of Numbers reiterates, “You shall observe it as a day when the horn is sounded.” Mentions of the shofar also come up throughout the Talmud and in subsequent Hebrew literature.

During pagan times, sounding the shofar announced the coronation of the victorious gods. Judaism reinterpreted this custom for Rosh Hashanah, which Jews believe is the day when God, having completed the creation of the world, is crowned king.

Another connection between the shofar and the holiday is the ram, itself. A portion of the Torah that is typically read on Rosh Hashanah is about the binding of Isaac. At God’s direction, Abraham is about to kill his son Isaac but, at the last second, is told he can sacrifice a ram stuck in a bush, instead. The shofar’s use during Rosh Hashanah nods to this story.

During biblical times, Jews sounded the shofar to signal the beginning of the Sabbath and the new moon as well as to announce solemn feasts, fasts and jubilee years. They also used the horn in a military context and during the anointing of a new king.

Today, Jews sound the shofar during Elul—the Jewish year’s last month, which precedes Rosh Hashanah. Traditionally, Elul is a time of self-reflection, known in Hebrew as cheshbon hanefesh, or “an accounting of the soul.” During Elul, the shofar is blown every weekday after morning services (except on Shabbat) as a reminder to repent.

Finally, one loud, prolonged blow of the shofar marks the end of the fast on Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement.