Customs of Rosh Hashanah continued...
FOODSTUFFS
Though Rosh Hashana is one of Judaism's more solemn holidays,
(remember- it IS the "Day of Judgement" ), a large part of its
celebration takes place around the table as in other holidays.
Aside from the standard holiday Kiddush (blessing over wine), there
are numerous symbolic activities that take place (usually) the
first night of Rosh Hashana at the dinner-table:
The Challah
Normally, the two loaves of challah over which the Hamotzi
(blessing) is said at a festive Shabbat or holiday meal are loaf-
shaped or braided. For Rosh Hashana, the traditional shape of the
challah is round. This shape symbolizes the cycle of life and how
we should be aware of it on this day. In some communities, the
challah is shaped like a ladder, symbolizing the fortunes of people
for the year ahead - some ascend and some descend life's
ladder.
On the Sabbath and other holidays, after the blessing and before
partaking of the challah, it is dipped into salt. On Rosh Hashana,
it is dipped in honey (if none is available, then into sugar) and
then eaten. This custom symbolizes our hope that the upcoming year
will be sweet. Many also have a custom to make sure that there are
raisins in their challah. As far as I know, the raisins are there
to enhance the sweetness of the challah. If you know of any other
reasons for raisins, I'll be glad to hear them!
Apple Dipped in Honey
After dipping a sweet apple into honey, the blessing over fruit is
recited plus the additional prayer, "May it be Your will to renew
for us a good and sweet year."
The symbolism of the honey here is also connected to a sweet year.
The symbolism of the apple is a bit more complex: The numerical
value of "tapuach" (Hebrew word for apple) is numerically
equivalent to "seh akeida" which means "the lamb of the binding."
In the story in which our forefather, Abraham was prepared to
sacrifice his son, Isaac, at God's command, Isaac asked his father,
"We have all the necessary utensils for a sacrifice. But where is
the sacrificial lamb?" Based on Abraham's answer, Isaac understood
that HE was to be that lamb about to be bound on the altar; he
would be the "seh akeida."
This whole incident of the binding of Isaac took place on Rosh
Hashana. (Notice, I say binding and not sacrificing, because in the
end of the story, Isaac is not sacrificed. At God's bidding, he was
removed from the altar and a ram was sacrificed in his place. This
was only a test.) By eating the apple, we are symbolically
expressing our hope that some of the merit generated through
Abraham's and Isaac's testing will trickle down to our generation
and help us be granted a sweet new year.
Pomegranates
One takes a piece of this fruit (watch out - pomegranate juice
stains in the worst way!) and says, "May it be Your will that our
merits be numerous as (the seeds of) the pomegranate."
What's the deal? There are 613 commandments in the Torah for a Jew
to fulfill. An individual pomegranate supposedly has 613 seeds.
(Try counting them.... I did once, and though we lost exact count,
there were more than 600 and less and 625 seeds - so it was awfully
close!) By eating the pomegranate, we figuratively show our desire
and hope to fulfill all 613 commandments, and by doing so, we will
be able to accrue a nice amount of merit.
Beets
Beets are called "Salka" in Aramaic, and in Hebrew, that word is
related to removal. We recite, "May our enemies be removed." Notice
we don't say destroy - we just want them to go away, elsewhere,
bye-bye.
Leeks
This vegetable, called "Karti" in Aramaic, is related to the Hebrew
word "to cut." We recite, "May our misdeeds, our spiritual enemies,
be cut down."
Type of Green Bean
This vegetable is called "Rubiyah," from the Hebrew word "to
increase." We recite, "May our merits increase."
Type of Squash
Called "Kera," this squash is phonetically related to the Hebrew
word for "read" or "tear." We recite one or both of the following:
"May You tear up our negative judgement," or "May You read our good
merits before You."
Dates
Dates are called "Tamri" in Aramaic which is related to the Hebrew
word for consume. We ask here that those who want to destroy us be
consumed.
Head of Sheep or Fish
(Vegetarians - skip this one!)
We partake of this and say, "May it be Your will that we should be
at the head and not at the tail." Aside from this, some people
specifically eat from a sheep's head saying that blessing, but
precede it by eating fish (not necessarily the head) and say the
blessing, "May it be Your will that our merits be fruitful and
multiply as do the fish."
Are you full, yet?
As a general rule, at this meal, foods that are sweet are eaten and
we try to avoid eating anything sour, bitter, or overly spicy.
Furthermore, there is one final food-item that is customarily NOT
eaten on Rosh Hashana, and that is any type of nut. There are two
reasons. First, pragmatically speaking, tradition tells us that
nuts cause an extra production of phlegm in the nasal-throat area,
and such phlegm can hinder someone's ability to recite prayers (the
main focus of the Holiday). The other reason is that the numerical
value of nut in Hebrew, ("egoz" ), is equal to the numerical value
of the word "chet" which means sin. On Rosh Hashana, we try to
distance ourselves from anything remotely related to sin, so we
avoid nuts.
This dinner meal sounds rather long, huh? The custom in a large
number of communities is to eat these symbolic foods only the first
night of Rosh Hashana, though in some Sephardic communities, it is
done both nights.
One more thing: On the second night specifically, most families
have a custom to eat a "new" fruit and say the blessing called
"Shehecheyanu" ("thanks, G-d, for allowing us to be here and doing
what we are doing on this day" ).
When I say a "new" fruit, I mean a fruit that has recently come
back into season and you have not had it yet, or a fruit you have
not eaten for at least 30 days (some say even for a year - this
depends on the individual's custom). The point is to make sure that
the second day of Rosh Hashana (which seems redundant because it IS
the second day) has something new about it. In addition or in place
of the fruit, some people will make sure they are wearing new
clothing to give that same element of novelty to the second
day.
Some families eat only some of the aforementioned foods. Some
families eat them all. One member of a Yemenite family confided in
me, "By the time we through all of these, I am too stuffed to even
think about the main course!"
Though the whole thing may seem silly to some, partaking of these
symbolic foods and reciting the appropriate prayers add a profound
level of reverence and meaning to the festive meal on this
important day.
