סעודת הסימנים לראש השנה "Rosh HaShanah's "Edible Blessings

He [Nehemiah] further said to them:

Go, eat choice foods and drink sweet drinks and send portions to whoever has nothing prepared, for the day is holy to our Eternal. Do not be sad, for your rejoicing in the Eternal is the source of your strength.”

Rav Ami says: One who desires to know if s/he will live through this current year or not, s/he should bring a lit candle during those ten days between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur and hang it in a house through which wind does not blow. If its light continues s/he shall know that s/he will live out his year. And one who desires to conduct business and wants to know if their business will succeed or not should raise a rooster. If the rooster gets fat and beautiful s/he shall know that the venture will succeed. This one who wishes to leave on a journey and wants to know whether s/he will return to his home should enter a dark house. If s/he sees

the reflection [bavua] of a reflection of one's reflection s/he shall know that s/he will return and come home. The Sages say about this: And this is nothing, perhaps one will become despondent and his fortune will turn bad,

Abaye said: Now that you have said that a sign is a substantial matter, a person should be accustomed to eat, at the start of the year, gourd, fenugreek, leeks, beets, and dates (bKritot 5b-6a)

Abbaye said,"Now that you have said that a sign is a [substential] matter, one should accustom oneself to eating citron (etrog), squash, beans (rubia), leeks (karti), beets (silkei) and dates (tamrei) on Rosh Hashanah." Rashi explains that rubia is clover. Rubia - our merits should increase (yirbu); karti - (the enemies) should be cut off (yikaretu), etc.; salki - removed (yistalku), etc.; tamrei finished (yitamu), etc.; squash because it is quick to grow. And from this grew the [various] customs, every place according to its custom; as in Germany, where they are accustomed to eating sweet apple with honey at the beginning of the meal, to say, "Let this new year be sweet for us." And in Provence they are accustomed to bring all types of novelties [to the meal] and to eat a sheep's head and lung, to say, "Let us be at the head and not at the tail;" and the lung because it is light. And our teacher, Rabbi Meir of Rothenberg was accustomed to eat the head of a ram to commemorate the ram of Yitzchak.

(1) Food items one eats on the night of Rosh HasShanah:

One should eat on Rosh HaShana night beans, leeks, beets, dates, and pumpkin. And as one eats the beans (rubiya), they say: God, may our merits increase (yirbu)! Eating leeks (karti), they say: God, may our enemies be wiped out (yekartu)! Eating dates (tamri), say: God, may our enemies disappear (yetamu)! Eating pumpkin (kra), say: God, may our judgement be ripped up (yikra) and may our merits be called out (yikrau) before You!

RAMA: Some have a custom of eating a sweet apple in honey, and saying: May a sweet year be renewed on us! This is what we do. Some eat pomegranates, and say: may our merits be as many as pomegranate seeds! And we are accustomed to eat fatty meat and all sorts of sweets.

(2) [It is a custom to] Eat a head of a lamb saying: Let us be as a head and not a tail. It is also a remembrance of the ram of Isaac.

RAMA: There are those who are careful not to eat nuts, as the word "egoz" in gematriah [is equal to the value of] chet (sin). They also cause a lot of excess saliva and phloem and cause abrogation of prayers. They also go to a river and say the verse: And Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). There are also those who do not sleep during Rosh Hashana during the day, and this is the correct thing to do.