The shofar is an ancient wind instrument made from the horn of a ram. Traditionally it is sounded in memory of the binding of Isaac, whereby God put Abraham to the test and commanded him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Just as Abraham was raising his arm to do so, God stopped him and ordered him to sacrifice a ram instead. The sounding of the shofar is the central ritual of "Rosh Hoshanah" the Jewish New Year. Every Jew is obligated to hear the notes – tekiah, teruah and shevarim – blown from the shofar over this period. I bought the shofar in Jerusalem during my Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in October 1999.