| Preceding
month
The
Yamim Noraim are preceded by the month of Elul, during which Jews
are supposed to begin a self-examination and repentance, a process
that culminates in the ten days of the Yamim Noraim known as beginning
with Rosh Hashanah and ending with the holiday of Yom Kippur.
The
shofar is blown in traditional communities every morning for the
entire month of Elul, the month preceding Rosh Hashanah. The sound
of the shofar is intended to awaken the listeners from their "slumbers"
and alert them to the coming judgment. [6]
Orthodox
and some Conservative Jewish communities do not blow the shofar
on Shabbat.[12]
In
the period leading up to the Yamim Noraim (Hebrew, "days of
awe") penitential prayers, called selichot, are recited.
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