Rosh Hashanah

Mark Podwal (b. 1945)
Digitial archival pigment print on paper
7 7/16 x 7 9/16″
USA, 2020
© Mark Podwal

The shofar (ram’s horn) is blown on Rosh Hashanah (the New Year) to fulfill the Torah’s commandment, “On the first day of the seventh month, you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts” (Leviticus 23:24. Cf. Numbers 29:1). The commandment is to listen to the shofar’s sounds, and the custom is to stand whenever the shofar is sounded. According to rabbinic sources, in the Temple in Jerusalem, the shofar was sometimes blown together with trumpets; the shofar would be positioned in the center with a trumpet on either side.

The Skirball Museum and other parties listed therein hold the copyright to the images, design, and text on our website, unless otherwise noted. The contents of this web site are available for non-commercial, personal, and educational use and may be freely accessed or downloaded on a temporary basis for the sole purpose of viewing, or for “fair use” as defined in the United States copyright laws. Use of site content for such purposes must include attribution to the author/artist, the Skirball Museum, and reference to the URL wwwcsm.huc.edu.

Unauthorized manipulation or redistribution in any form for any commercial use, including commercial publication, or for personal gain is strictly prohibited. To request a high-resolution digital image for study or publication, or to request permission to use an image from our website, complete an image request form or contact aschwartz@huc.edu for more information.