The Word of the Day for Sep 16 is:
shofar \SHOH-far\ noun : a ram's-horn trumpet blown by the ancient Hebrews in battle and during religious observances and used in modern Judaism especially during Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur

Example sentence: The first blast of the shofar echoed within the sanctuary, announcing the beginning of the High Holy Days.

Did you know? One of the shofar's original uses was to proclaim the Jubilee year (a year of emancipation of Hebrew slaves and restoration of alienated lands to their former owners) or the anointing of a new king. Today, it is mainly used in synagogues during the High Holy Days. It is blown during the month of Elul (the 12th month of the civil year or the 6th month of the ecclesiastical year in the Jewish calendar) until the end of Rosh Hashanah and again at the end of the last service on Yom Kippur as reminders to attend to spiritual matters. The custom is to sound the shofar in broken notes resembling sobbing and wailing followed by a long unbroken sound.

And with that, let me wish you all a very happy new year (the year 5765 !) that is healthy, happy, and prosperous. We had our Rosh Hashanah dinner tonight, rather than last night, as I was at a field trip to Petroglyphs Provincial Park. I don't feel too bad about it since Petroglyphs is a very spiritual place. It was a fantastic field trip ending a day of field trips (Lang Pioneer Village as well as the Canoe Museum). The Canoe Museum was pretty moving, too, but for other reasons. I've never seen an institution so desperate for financial donations and volunteers as it is. If I had millions of dollars, I would give them a fat donation so that they could give their substantial and important collections (not just of canoes) a proper facility. That said, I think I've been inspired to volunteer there.

I don't have much else to add. Go to Chabad online to read more about Rosh Hashanah if you're interested.