Posts Tagged "pomegranate"
Sukkah Decorations From Nature
I think the most beautiful sukkah decorations come from nature! It is traditional to display the Seven Species of the Land of Israel: Wheat Grape Fig Pomegranate Olive Date Barley The local fruits and flowers that are in season also add to the beauty of the sukkah. In Pennsylvania we have the following: Gourds Mums Indian Corn Cranberries Of course, the sukkah must have the Four Species. Lulav The frond of a date palm tree Hadass Branches from the myrtle tree Arava Boughs from the willow tree. Etrog Fruit from the citron tree. With so many beautiful colors and textures to work with, all you need to do is unleash your...
Read MoreSymbolic Sephardic Foods For Rosh Hashanah
Published in the Philadelphia Jewish Voice The Sephardic communtiy has a unique mystical tradition for Rosh Hashanah. Symbolic foods are served at a Rosh Hashanah Seder. Some of these foods are also puns, and are called “simanim,” or “signs.” Special blessings called “Yehi ratzones,” Ladino Hebrew for “May it be God’s will,” are chanted over these dishes. Here are some of them, and the traditions associated with them. Black-Eyed Peas And Fenugreek Black-eyed peas are called “ruvia” in Aramaic. ”Ruvia” is like the Hebrew word “rov” which means most or many. Fenugreek is...
Read MoreCreative New Fruits For Rosh Hashanah
It is traditional to eat a “new fruit” on the second night of Rosh Hashanah. By “new fruit,” we mean a fruit that has just ripened, and that we have not yet eaten this season. A custom exists dating back to Biblical times to serve a pomegranate as this “new fruit.” The pomegranate is one of the Seven Species for which the Land of Israel is celebrated (Deut. 8:8) Before we eat it, we chant the Shehechiyanu blessing: Baruch Ata Adonai Eloeinu Melech Haolam Shehechiyanu Vekiyemanu Vehigianu Lazman Haze Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive, and sustained us, and enabled us to reach this...
Read MoreHomemade Rosh Hashanah Cards
The first person to send a Rosh Hashanah greeting was Rabbi Jacob Halevi ben Moshe Moellin. He lived in the 14th century in Mainz. He concluded all of his correspondence with “L’Shanah Tovah Tikatevu,” “May you be inscribed for a good year.” Others followed his example. This custom continued until the 19th century. It was then that printers began producing New Year’s greeting postcards. Initially these cards were blank. The card sending craze really took off between 1889 and 1918, when picture postcards were printed. These cards became a way for members of a family on both sides of the ocean to communicate, at least...
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