Customs evolved in Jewish tradition based on the socio-economic- ethnic situation in
which Jews of various societies found themselves. Therefore, some customs emerged in
some communities while not in others. The nice thing about customs is that those who
don't keep certain customs have no reason to feel "guilty" as they are not
breaking any Jewish law by doing so.
Some of the following material on Rosh Hashana customs may sound quite eccentric, and
very far away from our present, intellectual, politically-correct society. Read on, and
see what you think. You don't have to like them, agree with them, or even understand them.
But do know that these customs are but a small part of a vast wealth of Jewish erudition
and practice. And if something "speaks" to you, why not go ahead and try it on
for size?
TASHLICH
Tashlich, from the root word which means "to cast away" is the
practice by which Jews go to a flowing body of water and symbolically "throw
away" their sins.
This occurs in the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashana or the second day if the
first falls on Shabbat (Saturday). This practice is based on a verse from the book of the
Prophet Michah where it says,
"And Thou wilt cast ("ve-tashlich") all their sins into the depths of
the sea"
(Michah, 7:19)
Another reason cited for the use of a "live" body of water is that there are
usually fish present. Fish never close their eyes, and that is a reminder to us of the
ever- watchful eyes of God who records and remembers everything, but who also constantly
peers down on His creations with mercy.
Furthermore, there is the mystical belief that fish are immune to the "Evil
Eye" (a type of curse) and by casting our sins away where there are fish, we are
indirectly asking to also be protected from the evils of the world. (Doesn't this sound
Twilight-Zone-Like?)
To do Tashlich, you basically go to a running body of water. A river, sea, or lake are
the best choices. If there is none within walking distance, a well or reservoir is
acceptable. Once there, several prayers are recited. There is no special prayer for
Tashlich. However, there are several Scriptural chapters relating to the idea of penitence
and Divine forgiveness.
And that's it. The psychological ramifications of such an act are immeasurable. Think
about it - you go to the sea, say a few prayers (or a little something that has special
meaning for you) and you can feel that you are walking away with a "clean
slate".
The water has SYMBOLICALLY carried away your misdeeds and you are free to start over.
Think about what that can do to one's spiritual self-esteem! This action gives one a
starting point; remember - in no way should Tashlich be viewed as an "end" in
and of itself.
GREETINGS
On the first night of Rosh Hashana, there is a custom that people exchange the
following greeting: "May you be inscribed and sealed immediately for a good
life." After the first night, it is considered improper in some communities to extend
this greeting any more because tradition has it that on the first night of Rosh Hashana,
the completely righteous are already inscribed for a good life.
By wishing someone a good inscription on a later day, you are implying that he/she is
not a completely righteous person. (True, you KNOW that this person is far from righteous,
but you still want to give him/her the benefit of the doubt.)
In some Sephardic communities, the greeting is, "May you be inscribed for a
good year; may you be worthy of abundant years." Also, in some Sephardic communities,
the greeting is extended beyond the first night.
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:
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!
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.
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 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.
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."
This vegetable is called "Rubiyah," from the Hebrew word "to
increase." We recite, "May our merits increase."
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 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.
(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.
NO SLEEP IN AFTERNOON
This next custom is just as it sounds - we do not take a nap on Rosh Hashana afternoon.
(Some hold just for the afternoon of the first day; some hold for both afternoons.) The
source for this custom is a saying in the Jerusalem Talmud,
"If one sleeps at the year's beginning (Rosh Hashana), his good fortune likewise
sleeps."
In other words, if there is a day not to be idle, it's Rosh Hashana. We are meant to be
contemplating, learning, or seeped in prayer. If we are not prepared to do this today, our
good fortune will not be prepared to show its face during the upcoming year.
A takeoff of the source of not sleeping is the following: Some people view Rosh Hashana
as a minuscule version of the upcoming year. How you behave on this day determines how the
rest of your year will be. So if you engage in sleep, it is said by some that you will
have a "sleepy" year. (Oh.... So THAT'S why I can't seem to move myself before
10:00AM!)
