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Shofar

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A ram's horn trumpet used in Jewish religious ceremonies, most notably during the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Detailed Definition
The sound of the shofar is a call to repentance, spiritual awakening, and remembrance. It evokes the binding of Isaac, the revelation at Mount Sinai, and the proclamation of God's kingship. In poetry, the shofar's blast is a powerful, non-verbal symbol. It represents a primal call from the divine, stirring the soul from spiritual slumber, announcing judgment and hope, and serving as a voice that cuts through complacency to awaken conscience and herald transformation and redemption.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Jewish poetry, Shofar awakens soul: “Ram’s horn—Shofar blast shatters complacency”; In Rosh Hashanah liturgy, Shofar calls to repent: “Tekiah, shevarim—Shofar’s cry, heart’s alarm”; In contemporary verse, Shofar is protest: “March’s megaphone—modern Shofar for justice”; Poets describe Shofar’s raw sound: “Not melody—Shofar, primal call to return.”
Additional Notes
Shofar’s raw, piercing blast on Rosh Hashanah awakens souls to repentance; on Yom Kippur, it seals the Book of Life; its sound recalls Sinai and future redemption; in poetry, the shofar evokes urgency, memory, and divine call—breaking through complacency like a wild cry from the heart of tradition.
Also Known As
Ram’s Horn Trumpet (biblical)
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