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Trying Foods on Rosh Hashanah |
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Written by Haji Hayim
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 Q: Every year my family and I sit around during Rosh Hashana and eat the same foods and I feel that it is something meaningless. What affects are we supposed to expect from eating apples and other foods?chan Aruch as well
Rabbi Eli Mansur: We discuss today a Halacha surrounding the Simanim (signs), which are the different foods that we eat on the nights of Rosh Hashana. These foods serve as signs and include; apples, dates, leak, and other foods that are specifically eaten on the nights of Rosh Hashana. There are some people that belittle this Minhag (custom), and they question the meaning behind eating such foods, and they do therefore do not involve themselves in these rituals. The source of this Minhag is from the Gemara. The Gemara does point out clearly that doing these Simanim can influence Shamayim for making things sweet and positive and good for us. The Gemara says that the signs that we do, actually have an effect.
The Gemara gives an analogy that in the olden days when they inaugurated a new King, they used to make the coronation ceremony by a well spring. This was done by a well spring, as a sign or omen, that the king would continue to flow just like the well spring. Following the signs, in fact has an effect. Whether it does something in Shamayim like the books say, or whether it does something to the person himself, psychologically it puts the person in a sweet and motivated mood to do Mitzvot. When one eats things that are sweet, so therefore one should not minimize the Simanim that we do on the night of the holiday.
The Arizal says that when one eats the apple, there is a lot of Kabalah behind eating of the apple. So therefore certainly, one should not minimize the importance of eating the Simanim.
If one does not like to eat those foods because they are not tasty to him, or he is allergic to then, so he would not have to eat them, so long as he points and looks at the foods when he says the Yehi Ratzon. That would be sufficient. This Halacha is brought down in the Gemara and the Shul |