Rosh Hashanah Foods “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks. . . . Your joy on this day will give you strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
We celebrate Rosh Hashanah with a number of lavish meals. The traditional meal begins with Kiddush over wine and includes challah, a fish course, and a meat or chicken course. Fish and meat commonly and cross-culturally provide pleasure and are conducive to happiness, which are crucial on the holiday; if these don’t bring you pleasure and joy, feel free to design a different menu. The meal served on the first night of Rosh Hashanah features a rich tradition of foods imbued with symbolic meaning. Here are some famous examples: FOOD
SYMBOLIZING OUR WISH . . .
ROUND CHALLAH
for a year in which blessings continue without end.
APPLE DIPPED IN HONEY
for a sweet new year.
POMEGRANATE
that our merits be numerous as the seeds in a pomegranate.
HEAD OF A FISH
that we be a head, not a tail.
CARROT
to multiply. (The Yiddish for carrots is merin, which also means “to multiply.”)
BEET
that our foes be removed. (The Aramaic word for beets is silka, which also means “to remove.”)
SQUASH
that our merits be read and noticed. (The Hebrew word for squash is kara, which also means "to be read aloud.”)
It is also customary to eat a new fruit—that is, a fruit you have not yet enjoyed since it came into season—for the second night of Rosh Hashanah, as this enables the recitation of the Shehecheyanu blessing on that night (see page 19). Use this opportunity to check out the exotic fruit section at your local supermarket, and try to find something new.
ROS H H AS H A NA H
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