Meaningful Moadim
  • Welcome to Meaningful Moadim
    • Introducung Chodesh Adar
    • Mishenichnas Adar Marbim BeSimcha >
      • A Purim Thought
      • Mazal Adar Dagim - The Month of Adar is Symbolized by Fish
      • More on Mazel Adar Dagim
      • The First of "the Four Parshiyos" - Parshas Shekalim
      • The Month of Adar and Purim >
        • Holiday of Unity?
      • Why Megillas ESTHER?
      • Purim and Prayer >
        • Prayer in the Megillah
      • The Most Unhappiest Queen of them all
      • Purim and Charity
      • Making Purim Last Throughout the Year
      • Story: The Purim of Saragosa
      • Chanukah: The Festival of Lights >
        • Are we celebrating the victory over the Greeks or the Miracle of the Oil? >
          • Miracle Oil?
          • The Jewish People Are Above Nature
          • The Light of the Jewish Soul Glows on Chanukah
          • Chanukah: A Winter Festival
          • Chanukah: A War of Conflicting Philosophies >
            • Alexander The Great and The Jewish Sages
            • Uphold Good or Destroy Evil?
            • LeHashkicham Torasecha U’LeHa’aviram MeiChukei Retzonecha
          • Why was a holiday established specifically for the war that led to the Chanukah miracle?
          • U’Leamcha Yisrael Assisa Teshua Gedola U’furkan K’Hayom Hazeh…
        • Give the Gift of LIGHT!
        • Customs, Symbols & Observances >
          • More Reasons for Doughnuts on Chanukah
          • The Letters on the Dreidel
          • More Customs >
            • More About the Dreidel
            • More on Dreidel
            • Chanukah Gelt
            • The Lesson of "Chanukah Gelt"
            • L'Hodos U'LaHallel
          • More Symbolism >
            • Symbolism of Olive Oil
            • The Greeks vs. The Jews
            • The Little Jug that Traveled Through Time
          • The Custom to serve Dairy and Cheese Products on Chanukah
          • Tzedaka - Charity
        • The Shamash >
          • The Secret of the Shamash
        • Putting Away the Menorah?
        • Recommended Reading
      • KISLEV - Great Expectations >
        • What is Chanukah? >
          • The Name of the Holiday >
            • Chanukah: Renewal
            • Why is Shehechiyanu recited only on the first night of Chanukah?
            • Biblical Allusions
            • Another explanation of the name Chanukah
            • Ve-Al Hnissim, not Al Hanissim
            • Mai Chanukah?
            • Bais Shamai and Bais Hillel (2)
            • Mazal Kislev Keshes
            • Why didn't the Kohanim themselves defile the oil if everyone was tamei, ritually impure due to the war? >
              • Chanukah Always has a Shabbos >
                • Chanukah Always Falls our Around parshas Mikeitz
              • Tu BiShevat - The New Year of the Trees >
                • Bearing Fruit
                • Pri Eitz Hadar
                • Tu BeShevat – A Day of Perceptible Belief
              • Tu B'shvat and Shabbos Shira
      • We blow the Shofar Throughout the Month of Elul
      • Shofar Throughout the Month of Elul
      • Reconnecting with our Father in Heaven
      • Month of Teves: Catastrophic Events
      • Questions or Comments? >
        • TAKING A MOMENT OUT FOR A CHANUKAH THOUGHT >
          • TAKING A MOMENT OUT FOR A CHANUKAH THOUGHT
        • Calendar Converter

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. 
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Welcome to Meaningful Moadim
    • Introducung Chodesh Adar
    • Mishenichnas Adar Marbim BeSimcha >
      • A Purim Thought
      • Mazal Adar Dagim - The Month of Adar is Symbolized by Fish
      • More on Mazel Adar Dagim
      • The First of "the Four Parshiyos" - Parshas Shekalim
      • The Month of Adar and Purim >
        • Holiday of Unity?
      • Why Megillas ESTHER?
      • Purim and Prayer >
        • Prayer in the Megillah
      • The Most Unhappiest Queen of them all
      • Purim and Charity
      • Making Purim Last Throughout the Year
      • Story: The Purim of Saragosa
      • Chanukah: The Festival of Lights >
        • Are we celebrating the victory over the Greeks or the Miracle of the Oil? >
          • Miracle Oil?
          • The Jewish People Are Above Nature
          • The Light of the Jewish Soul Glows on Chanukah
          • Chanukah: A Winter Festival
          • Chanukah: A War of Conflicting Philosophies >
            • Alexander The Great and The Jewish Sages
            • Uphold Good or Destroy Evil?
            • LeHashkicham Torasecha U’LeHa’aviram MeiChukei Retzonecha
          • Why was a holiday established specifically for the war that led to the Chanukah miracle?
          • U’Leamcha Yisrael Assisa Teshua Gedola U’furkan K’Hayom Hazeh…
        • Give the Gift of LIGHT!
        • Customs, Symbols & Observances >
          • More Reasons for Doughnuts on Chanukah
          • The Letters on the Dreidel
          • More Customs >
            • More About the Dreidel
            • More on Dreidel
            • Chanukah Gelt
            • The Lesson of "Chanukah Gelt"
            • L'Hodos U'LaHallel
          • More Symbolism >
            • Symbolism of Olive Oil
            • The Greeks vs. The Jews
            • The Little Jug that Traveled Through Time
          • The Custom to serve Dairy and Cheese Products on Chanukah
          • Tzedaka - Charity
        • The Shamash >
          • The Secret of the Shamash
        • Putting Away the Menorah?
        • Recommended Reading
      • KISLEV - Great Expectations >
        • What is Chanukah? >
          • The Name of the Holiday >
            • Chanukah: Renewal
            • Why is Shehechiyanu recited only on the first night of Chanukah?
            • Biblical Allusions
            • Another explanation of the name Chanukah
            • Ve-Al Hnissim, not Al Hanissim
            • Mai Chanukah?
            • Bais Shamai and Bais Hillel (2)
            • Mazal Kislev Keshes
            • Why didn't the Kohanim themselves defile the oil if everyone was tamei, ritually impure due to the war? >
              • Chanukah Always has a Shabbos >
                • Chanukah Always Falls our Around parshas Mikeitz
              • Tu BiShevat - The New Year of the Trees >
                • Bearing Fruit
                • Pri Eitz Hadar
                • Tu BeShevat – A Day of Perceptible Belief
              • Tu B'shvat and Shabbos Shira
      • We blow the Shofar Throughout the Month of Elul
      • Shofar Throughout the Month of Elul
      • Reconnecting with our Father in Heaven
      • Month of Teves: Catastrophic Events
      • Questions or Comments? >
        • TAKING A MOMENT OUT FOR A CHANUKAH THOUGHT >
          • TAKING A MOMENT OUT FOR A CHANUKAH THOUGHT
        • Calendar Converter