Food is an important part of our lives as Jews. We know how to eat. Next week we begin our holiest days of the year. We come together as a community to reflect on the past year and think about how we can be a better person in the coming year. It is a time when families get together to have family meals and be together, if they live close by. At family meals my children always have their favorite foods that I must prepare. Rosh Hashanah dinner must include matzah ball soup, round challah and apple cake. The rest of the meal doesn’t matter. For Hanukkah only I can make the latkes because that is what they know and love. For Passover only I can make the charoset. If I try to change the recipe, I have a rebellion from my children.
We all have our favorite foods. It is interesting to know the traditional foods from other parts of the world. Some foods that Jews worldwide serve for the New Year are:
Carrots- Merren in Yiddish connotes the word more. Sliced, they look like gold coins.
Pomegranates- are supposed to contain as many seeds as the 613 mitzvot and are a new fruit of the season
Apples- the Gematria (number association) of Tapuach (Hebrew) is equal to the Akeida-lamb of the binding referring to the story of Abraham and Isaac.
Fish- the whole fish or head is served as a wish for a year placing you at the head of life also a fish never closes its eyes so like God it is ever watchful over us.
Beets- its Hebrew word relates to removal as removal of our sins and our enemies
Leeks- its Hebrew word sounds like to cut—may our spiritual enemies be cut down
Pumpkin- represents the hope that as a thick covering protects the vegetable, God will protect us.
No matter what your tradition is perhaps you will want to add something new to your holiday meal. Whatever you do, I hope you all have a wonderful and meaningful new year.