The 'Simanim'
Our Sages taught: Symbols have real meaning. We therefore serve symbolic foods on Rosh Hashanah, that they may stand for the good year we hope to merit. These symbolic foods and their accompanying prayers open the festive meal on the first night of Rosh Hashanah. Among Sephardic communities, they are repeated on the second night.
We dip the piece of challah used for Ha-Motzi into honey — if one has no honey then sugar is used. Some use both salt and honey. After eating the challah, a slice of sweet apple is taken and is dipped into honey. The blessing of Borei Peri ha-Etz is recited, the apple is eaten, and then the following prayer is said: May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year.”
It is also customary to eat various vegetables over which appropriate prayers are recited, incorporating the sounds of their Aramaic names. Some of these are:
silki [beets] — which suggests the word meaning “to remove.” Hence: “May our enemies be removed.”
karti [leeks] — which suggests the word meaning “to cut down.” Hence: “May our enemies be cut down.”
kara [squash] — which suggests the word meaning “to read.’ Hence: “May our merits be read before you.”
tamri [dates] — which suggests the word meaning “to consume.” Hence: “May our enemies be consumed.”
Obviously these foods should themselves be tasty, and not bitter or sour.
It is also customary to eat various vegetables over which appropriate prayers are recited, incorporating the sounds of their Aramaic names. Some of these are:
silki [beets] — which suggests the word meaning “to remove.” Hence: “May our enemies be removed.”
karti [leeks] — which suggests the word meaning “to cut down.” Hence: “May our enemies be cut down.”
kara [squash] — which suggests the word meaning “to read.’ Hence: “May our merits be read before you.”
tamri [dates] — which suggests the word meaning “to consume.” Hence: “May our enemies be consumed.”
Obviously these foods should themselves be tasty, and not bitter or sour.
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