[img]96|right|Shachar||no_popup[/img]Dateline Jerusalem – When it comes to Jewish holidays, I often am reminded of the saying, “We were persecuted, we won, let’s eat!” Food seems to play a symbolic role in celebrating these holidays. Rosh Hashana, literally “head of the year,” is no exception. The only holiday in Israel observed for two days, it is the anniversary of the birth of mankind. Customs of the holiday are passed down from generation to generation. After a day in prayer, we join family and friends for a sumptuous meal of foods symbolic of the holiday.
Seven species are inherent to the land of Israel, pomegranates, olives, dates, figs, grapes, wheat and barley. Israelis like to incorporate the seven species in their holiday meals after reciting special blessings over each species. Israel is known as the Land of Milk and Honey. But the honey referred to is the sweet dripping sap of dates drying on the vines of palm trees, not that of bees. The dates are hard, smooth and yellowish. As they dry, they end up looking like the brown wrinkled dates we find for sale in markets around the world.
One of the best known traditions of Rosh Hashana is the dipping of apples in honey and saying a prayer asking G-d for a sweet year. Apples are a Kabbalistic symbol of Paradise. Challah, an oval braided loaf of bread, is a dipped in honey. For Rosh Hashana, the loaves are round, to symbolize the continuity of creation.
Pomegranates are a staple on the Rosh Hashana table. Allegedly the pomegranate contains 613 seeds, corresponding to the 613 commandments required of Jews. I know several people who actually have counted the pomegranate seeds. They are amazed. The number of seeds totals 613. We make a blessing that our good deeds this year will be as plentiful as the seeds of the pomegranate.
In fact, plentiful is a common theme during Rosh Hashana. There are blessings for more children, more charity, more good deeds, more Torah knowledge, more wealth, more prosperity. In Yiddish, a language written in the Hebrew alphabet but incorporating Hebrew, German, French, Italian and Slavic elements, the word for carrots is “merren.” It also connotates “more.” Therefore on Rosh Hashana tables, sliced carrots in small rounds that look like coins, often baked in honey, are served with a blessing for prosperity. Peas are served for the English pun of “more peace.”
Part of the fun of eating symbolic foods is putting together puns about them. In Israel, most of the puns are in Hebrew, some are in Yiddish. Since many of my friends and I speak only English, we tend to include English ones as well. Because Israel is a melting pot for Jews gathered from all over the world, the symbolic foods we eat vary according to culture, custom and language. T.he Hebrew word for gourd is similar to that of “tear” Therefore, gourds, pumpkins, zucchini and squash may be eaten with a blessing that G-d will “tear away” all evil decrees against us. The word for leeks is similar to the word for “cut off.” So we wish that our enemies be cut off. Beets are eaten with a wish that all enemies who might “beat” us will leave us alone. Or that “we will beat any obstacles that come our way.”
Not only are raisins often added for sweetness to challahs, but there is a common pun for raisin dishes. We eat raisins to commit to “raisin' our hopes and expectations for the new year.” I know someone who eats a raisin and celery together, wishing for a “raise in salary.” Who can forget lettuce for “Lettuce find happiness in the new year.”
Since Rosh Hashana means head of the year, other traditions include eating from the head of a fish. It symbolizes that we will be “like the head, not the tail,” leaders not followers. A fish is a symbol of fertility and abundance. Because a fish's head is not the most appetizing thing to see on the table, gummy bear candy fish often are substituted.
To have a sweet year, anything bitter or sour is avoided. Also, anything relating to sin. The numeric value of Hebrew letters is Gematria. Since the Hebrew word for walnut is “egoz” while gematria is close to that of the word for sin, many people will not eat nuts during the holiday to avoid even the hint of sin.
On the second day of the holiday, a new fruit is eaten so that we can appreciate the fruits of the earth and being alive to enjoy them. A blessing is said thanking G-d for keeping us alive and bringing us to this season.
May G-d inscribe and seal you in the Book of Life for a long life and a year of health, happiness, prosperity, tranquility, peace, and safety. May you have a good, sweet, and favorable new year.
L'hitraot. Shachar