Symbols; How does it work? Can it really benefit us? On Rosh Hashanah, a traditional practice is to eat simanim, or symbolic foods, in order to presage good things for the future. The origin of eating simanim can be found in the Talmudic discussion of omens (Horayot 12a; Keritot 6a). Abayei comments that since “simana milta,” “omens are of significance,” a person should make it a practice to “see” [other texts state to “eat”] five specific symbolic foods at the Rosh Hashanah table. According to the Talmud, these foods are “qara,” “rubya,” “kartai,” “silka” and “tamari” (gourd, fenugreek, leek, beets and dates). Other foods have been added over time, such as the pomegranate.
There have been many Jewish scholarly interpretations over the centuries concerning which bean-like food was meant by Abaye and so, different Jewish communities follow different rabbinical interpretations of what was meant by Abaye
Regarding whether the symbolic foods of Rosh Hashanah were to be eaten or simply displayed on the Rosh Hashanah Seder table was a subject of debate among various Talmudic authorities. The custom that was decided upon was simply to recite blessings over each symbolic food, touching each food in turn while blessing it. Today, the custom is to recite the appropriate “Yehi ratzon” blessing over each food, and to sample each of the symbolic foods in turn.
The following is a basic structure of a Rosh Hashanah Seder. Mind you there are many customs.
One recent custom I heard involves lettuce, half a raisin and celery.
Its prevalent in United States- it’s a play on words “let-us have a raise in salary”. Now if you think I’m being a wise guy, well…. think again.
Some have a custom to recite the symbolic Yehi Ratzon before washing of the hands and some after one eats bread
We dip the bread after we say the blessing of HAMOTZIE LECHEM MIN HA’ARETZ in honey instead of the customary salt. Honey is symbolic of having a sweet year.
Why do we add UMEH TUKA when we say shana tova?
The ultimate believe and trust in G-d is to understand that everything HE does is for the good even if the situation is bleak. We would not be able to see the truth until we leave this world. Mind you, relegion is a belief. We reaffirm our belief by the first statement (shana tova) However by adding UMETUKAH we suggest to make the good, though be sweet and wonderful.
Why do we dip the apple in honey?
When Yitzchak requested to smell Yaakov, after Yaacov dressed up like his brother Eisav to receive the bracha instead of him, Rashi comments that he smelled an apple tree from Gan Eden and he knew, then, he’s giving the bracha to the right son. This kindness that G-d did with Yaakov is reiterated on Rosh Hashana by dipping Apples in honey
Honey represents sweet year. Our Sages recognize the value of honey They call it a “sixtieth of the manna” because it shares many of the curative qualities of the nourishment food from heaven which our ancestors ate in the wilderness.
Nowadays the term honey means bee’s honey, but the famous Biblical verse ” A land filled with milk and honey” refers to date honey. Dates are one of the seven species characteristic of the land of Israel.
In earlier times the tall majestic date palm and its nourishing fruit were a symbol of victory and prosperity The pillars of the holy Temple were decorated with palm leaves in relief. It has the ability to relieve depression according to the Rambam. Dates are known as “tamri” is related to the word “tamri,” meaning consume or finish. This food is similar to the beets and leeks in that it is eaten with the intent that all enemies will end their detrimental wrath.
Yehi ratzon milfanecha ……..sheh-yee-tahm’u oy-vay-nu.
May it be your will Eternal God that our enemies will be finished
Pomegranate
The prayer for the pomegranate is “sheyirbu zechuyoteinu kerimon. It is one of the Shivat Haminim, the Seven Species for which the Land of Israel is praised (Deuteronomy 8:8), and was one of the fruits brought back by the Twelve Spies (Numbers 13:23). Both the decorative items hanging from the Kohen Gadol’s robe (Exodus 28:33-34; 39:24-26), as well as the ornaments atop two columns in the Beit Hamikdash built by King Solomon, resembled pomegranates (I Kings 7:13-22; Jeremiah 52:22-23; cf. Tosefta Ohalot 13:9). The pomegranate is mentioned in Shir HaShirim, the Song of Songs, as a symbol of beauty. Rimon, the Hebrew name for pomegranate, may be derived from ram, which means high or elevated, because unlike other fruits pomegranate are lumpy rather than smooth.
Pomegranate is mentioned in the Song of Songs six times and many times elsewhere in the Bible. It is likely that the famous six pointed Star of David symbol of the Jewish Monarchy, was inspired by the “crown” of the pomegranate. When its spikes are flattened they form the familiar star. According to a Kabalistic interpretation, the six points of the star are composed of two superimposed triangles. One triangle represents Pesach, Shavuot and Sucot the three festivals spent at the Temple in Jerusalem. The second triangle represents Rosh Hashana, Yom Kipur and the Shabbat- the three festivals that have no obligation to be spent in Jerusalem.
The misconception about the pomegranate having 613 seeds is widespread, but its source is readily apparent. The pomegranate is also a symbol of fertility, and thus of the unlimited possibilities for the New Year.
Beets- Lav Lehvu
Beets are known as “silka,” related to the word “siluk,” meaning removal. The adversaries referred to in the prayer before eating the beet are the spiritual roadblocks created by the past year’s missteps that must be removed before a sweet New Year is granted.
Yehi ratzon milfanecha ……sheh yestalku oyvaynu….may it be your will that our adversaries will be removed.
Black-Eyed Peas- Ruvia
Egyptian Jews and others eat black-eyed peas because they are called Rubya, related to the Hebrew word rov meaning a lot, manyyehi ratzon….sheh yirbu zechiyatenu
Leeks
We eat leeks in the hopes that our enemies will be destroyed. The Hebrew word for leeks is “Karsi,” which sounds like “kares”, to be destroyed. The Artscroll Machzor lists the יהי רצון on leeks as:
יהי רצון מלפנך, ה’ אלקינו ואלקי אבותינו, שיכרתו שונאינו
Note: We eat gourds squash (the family to which pumpkins belong) in the hopes that any evil decree against us will be destroyed and our merits proclaimed (rendering a favorable judgment). The Hebrew word for gourd is קרע (k’ra), which is also the word for ‘tear/rip’ and sounds like the word for ‘read/proclaim’ – קרא. The Artscroll Machzor lists the יהי רצון for gourd as:
יהי רצון מלפנך, ה’ אלקינו ואלקי אבותינו, שיקרע גזר דיננו ויקראו לפניך זכויותינו
May it be Your will, Hashem, our God and the God of our forefathers, that the decree of our sentence be torn asunder; and may our merits be proclaim
We should be like the head and not the tail
Weather it be the head of a kosher animal or fish this symbolic custom is a bracha for great achievement in spirituality. If our spiritual side see’s success then automatically our physicality will have bracha. We should be in the head of the class and not in the back of the line.
Since fish live under the water and are thus concealed from view, they are protected from the gaze of the seventy nations of the world. Its a symbol against the evil eye. Fish is a symbolic expression of our wish that our merits may multiply like the fish of the sea.
There is a direct connection between our physicality and our spiritual side. What happens here has an effect there. The physical symbols are there to awaken the spiritual counterpart. The tool that we are provided with is through physical actions and speech.
G-d gave man the ability, the gift to express himself through speech, and we clearly see it from these symbolic practices. When one recites the yehi ratzon he should have deep concentration like he does with his prayers. Interestingly, there is a pattern where we derive these symbols through puns, words that sound the same. The power of speech is such that even words that have similar sounding puns can affect our fate. The angels say amen to what we utter and it happens.
Its funny, the Chofetz Chaim suggest to an extent that one can utter puns in his comfortable language and that in essence can be symbolic. That’s astonishing! One can change fate through the English language through puns. It works in every language. That’s how, to a large extent, the power of speech works. This is the formula of how symbols have an opportunity to materialize our life into a sweet year.
Why do we recite the Kaddish for a deceased loved one? Out of all the prayers, why was this prayer chosen? Even a person who is non-observant will make it their business to recite the prayer. Its up there with the Shema as the most popular prayers. The Sages say that the recitation is a tremendous benefit for the soul that passed away. Therefore if one wants to honor their loved ones to the utmost he should make the effort to recite Kadish for their sake.
Working for a boss can be quite challenging and frustrating at times. Sometimes we have to walk on egg shells in order not to make the employer upset. Sometimes even that doesn’t help. There were 2 individuals who had the monotonous task of being water carriers for a very difficult man. The job was to carry buckets of water from one end of the field to the pool. The boss assigned each individual their own personal bucket. However one of the bucket had a hole in it and for the most part the un-lucky employee, as one could imagine, was never able to deliver the full amount of water in the bucket. It reached a point where the other fellow would tease him of the useless task he was assigned with.