ROSH HASHANAH
Passionate About Pomegranates A
Learn why this fruit has a role to play during the High Holidays.
Pomegranates first start to appear in U.S. markets in late summer, with the primary season running from October through January.
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ELLA OLSSON/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
KERI GUTEN COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
pples and honey are certainly popular symbols of Rosh Hashanah, but pomegranates play a significant role during this holiday and in Jewish history as well. A simple online search about pomegranates yielded many articles, recipes, historical and biblical references, explanations of their symbolism to many cultures as well as botanical and health information. Pomegranates also have a long Judaic history — from Jewish ritual objects to ancient Jewish coins, to Jewish cuisine, and Jewish art, architecture and jewelry. Pomegranates, said to have originated in Iran and grown in the Mediterranean region since ancient times, are among the oldest cultivated fruit trees in the world. King Solomon used pomegranates as capitals for the columns of the First Temple, later destroyed by the Babylonians. Solomon also saw pomegranates as symbols of love and fertility, using a pomegranate metaphor to describe a lovely young woman in Song of Songs 4:3. Priests during the Second Temple period had pomegranates embroidered on their robes. Ancient — and contemporary — Jewish coins are decorated with pomegranates. And the fruit often is seen on decorative silver covers for Torah scrolls, called rimonim, Hebrew for pomegranates. Perhaps the best-known reason for the pomegranate’s symbolism at Rosh Hashanah comes from the belief that the
fruit contains 613 seeds (arils), a number that corresponds to the 613 mitzvot or commandments in the Torah. Though many websites say the number of arils varies with each pomegranate, the mitzvot theory persists. According to the website myjewishlearning.com, a Sephardic Rosh Hashanah tradition before eating the seeds is to say, “May we be as full of mitzvot (commandments) as the pomegranate is full of seeds.” On the second night of Rosh Hashanah, some Jews say the blessing of the new fruit over a pomegranate, a fruit that is not often eaten, thus making it “new.” FUN FACTS These tidbits were culled from various online resources. • Pomegranates are mentioned in the Torah as one of Israel’s famed “seven species,” along with wheat, barley, grapes, figs, olives and dates. (myjewishlearning. com) • In the Torah, Moses’ 12 spies brought back a pomegranate to show the fertility of the land while they were checking out Canaan. (nocamels.com) • The word for pomegranate in Hebrew is rimon — the same word as grenade. Imagine throwing a pomegranate and, on impact, having its seeds “explode” out of its skin. This is a Greek tradition that persists from ancient times. Smashing a pomegranate on New Year’s Day symbolizes life and good fortune. (greekreporter.com) • There is speculation in sevcontinued on page 50
SEPTEMBER 2 • 2021
