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Wednesday February 08, 2012

Sweet New Year

Take Stock (Not In The Market)
Here’s To A Sweet New Year!

Food symbolism takes serious center stage during the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Sprinkled within this ten day period of introspection and soul searching are traditions and celebratory foods served and shared to help bring about sweetness, renewal, and forgiveness. To ensure positive results, some Jews even avoid eating bitter or sour foods like pickles, lemons or horseradish that could stand in the way of the holiday’s theme of sweetness.

Most everyone knows about the traditional dipping of apples and honey to represent a “sweet new year” but here, NorthShoreInsider.com brings you the symbolic meaning of other “Head of The New Year” foods and traditions.

A Round Challah: The shape is important to symbolize a perfect coming year. Whether it has raisins or not is of less importance than the shape.

Gefilte ("filled") Fish: Fish is the age-old symbol of abundance and fertility. The head of the fish used during the holiday is representative of hope that the Jews will lead other nations through righteous doings.

Tzimmes: This eastern European dish is honey baked carrots. The word “meren” in Yiddish means carrots and to increase. Carrots are symbolic of hope and the practice of increasing good deeds in the New Year.

Pomegranates: This fruit is often eaten on the second night of Rosh Hashanah and as is said to have 613 seeds (although I have never counted). This number is apparently the exact number of good deeds or mitzvot that Jews are expected to fulfill. The pomegranate lends hope for "new year to be filled with as many good deeds as the pomegranate has seeds."

Other New Year Foods That Get Some Attention Include:

Spinach: Symbolic of everything green and representing plenty of produce.

Rice: Stands for abundance.

Pumpkins: Or gourds or squash with their thick skins express hope that "as this vegetable has been protected by a thick skin, we too are protected”.

Leeks or Cabbage: The Hebrew word for leek is Karsi which sounds like the kares "to cut off/destroy," a request at this time is made asking for "our adversaries be removed."

Have a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year from your friends at NorthShoreInsider.com