Rosh Hashanah at Home - Eating Simanim

Leeks - and this is because some of these grow quickly, and some of these are sweet.

In the first chapter of Keritot, we have the text (Keritot 5b): Rabbah said, "That person that wants to know whether he will take out the year or not, should bring a candle during the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur into a room where the wind is not blowing. If its light (its flame) continues, he will know that he will continue the year. And a person that wants to conduct a business deal and wants to know if the deal will be a successful one or not, should feed a chicken. If it becomes nicely fat, he will know that it will be successful... Abaye said,"Now that you have said that a sign is a [correct] matter, a man should accustom himself to eating citron, 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.; silkei - 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.

One should be accustomed to eat on Rosh Hashanah: Fenugreek, leeks, beetroot, dates and pumpkin. And when you eat fenugreek, you should say “may it be your will that our merits are multiplied”. Leeks you should say, “... may our enemies be cut off”. Beetroot say “... may our enemies be smitten”. Dates say “... may our enemies be orphaned/bereaved”. Pumpkin say “... tear up our (bad) decree and may our merits be brought before you”.

[There is the custom to eat apples in honey and to say “... may you bring upon us a sweet new year” and such is our custom. Some eat pomegranates and say “may our merits multiply like a pomegranate”. It is customary to eat fatty meats, and sweet foods.]

On Rosh Hashanah, one should eat in the following order (seder) on both nights: First, dates. One should recite the blessing of "creator of the fruit of the tree," and eat one date. After that, one should say: May it be your will that our enemies be destroyed (Yitamu = destroyed, sounds like tamar = date). The one should eat the second date, and have in mind "the enemies of the lower realms." After that, a person should eat fenugreek (rubya), which we call "luvya" in Arabic, and says "may it be Your will that our merits increase (yirbu)." But as Magen Avraham (17th century legal scholar) says, one should make requests in the language that makes sense wherever you are, and so we in Baghdad who call it "luvya" have to say, "that our merits may increase and and become beloved (tilvaveynu)....

(9) At the evening meal it is customary to prepare symbolic dishes [as auspicious omens] for a good year. You dip the piece of challah of Hamotzi in honey, and after eating a kazayis of challah you should say: יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ ה׳ אֱלֹּקַי וֵאלֹּקֵי אֲבוֹתַי שֶׁתְּחַדֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ שָׁנָה טוֹבָה וּמְתוּקָה “May it be Your will Almighty, my G-d, and G-d of my fathers” etc. (Ibid 583:21) shanah tovah umesukah [May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year]. After this you should dip a piece of apple in honey, say the berachah, Borei peri ha'eitz, and eat it. Then you say again Yehi ratzon etc. It is customary to eat the head of an animal and say Yehi ratzon shenih'yeh lerosh [May it be Your will] that we will be heads (leaders). You should try to obtain the head of a sheep, which will also serve as a remembrance of the ram of Isaac. You should also eat vegetables the names of which, in the language of your country, allude to good things... such as in our country, carrots (mehren) [mehren means to increase] and you should say Yehi ratzon sheyirbu zechuyoseinu [May it be Your will that our merits increase.] Some people have the custom to eat an elaborate fish course, symbolizing the blessing of fertility like the fish. The fish should not be cooked in vinegar because we must not eat sour or bitter foods on Rosh Hashanah. You should eat choice meats and all kinds of sweets. It is also customary not to eat nuts and almonds, because the numerical value of אֶגוֹז egoz (nut) is 17, the same as חֵט cheit, which means sin. Also, nuts increase phlegm and mucus which interferes with praying. It is proper to study Torah during the meal. Some have the custom of studying the Mishnah, Maseches Rosh Hashanah.