The shofar is the curved ram’s-horn instrument traditionally sounded during Rosh Hashanah.
Its blasts are central to the synagogue services for the Jewish New Year. The Torah associates trumpet-like sounding with sacred gatherings, while later Jewish tradition gave the shofar a particularly important role in Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur observance.
A shofar may be made from the horn of a ram or another kosher animal, but cattle horns are generally avoided because of their association with the sin of the Golden Calf. The horn is hollowed and shaped so that a player can produce several distinctive calls.
The principal sound patterns include tekiah, a long blast; shevarim, three broken blasts; and teruah, a rapid series of short sounds. The shofar is not simply a musical instrument: its sound is traditionally understood as a call to spiritual reflection and repentance.