When Rosh Hashanah arrives it has already been heralded for a
full month. On the first day of Elul (the last month of the Jewish
calendar) and every following morning, the Shofar, or ram's horn,
is sounded at synagogue services. The horn announces the approaching
holy season.
On the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah a special midnight
service is conducted called Selichos (Penitential Prayers) which
help to prepare the worshipper for the time of reverence and self-appraisal
during the coming Days of Awe.
Rosh Hashanah is the Yom Teruah, the Day of Blowing the Shofar.
The ram's horn was the instrument used to announce major national
and religious events in Jewish life. The Shofar is blown three
times in the traditional Rosh Hashanah service by the Baal Tekiah
(the man who sounds the shofar). There are one hundred blasts
in total.
