Is blowing the shofar during the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy an Elul custom only, or also appropriate in other times of distress?

This Torah study examines the question: Is blowing the shofar during the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy an Elul custom only, or also appropriate in other times of distress? The canonical Hebrew discussion develops the issue through the weekly Torah portion and the sources cited there, preserving the distinctions, tensions and practical implications that belong to the source itself. This localized layer is designed for study and discovery; it does not add a new halakhic, medical, legal, historical or empirical ruling beyond the canonical Hebrew source.