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Hint for a King
Renee Chernin
Rosh Hashanna is also an awesome day, replete with a half days in synagogue and several festive meals to prepare. In the midst of our preoccupation with tshuva, we cannot help but be distracted by menus and recipes for all these yom tov meals.
The main work of Rosh Hashanna is to crown Hashem our King. And since we, His people are also royalty, our meals should reflect this. But after a long day of services, the meal has to be simple as well as elegant. Make ahead dishes that reheat easily like the Ginger Pumpkin Souffle below or crunchy salads which can be prepared ahead and served cold are what I look for. We go for sweet foods to symbolize our desire for a sweet new year and the meal of course begins with the simanim.
There is a well observed custom to eat certain foods on Rosh Hashanah accompanied by requests to Hashem. We ask Him to save us, increase us, consume and destroy our enemies and give us a sweet new year. The most recognized example of this is, of course, the dipping of apple in honey and asking that our new year be as sweet as the flavors of the succulent apple mingled with delicious honey.
Clearly there is something else going on here. While there are all sorts of foods we eat either by command or by tradition on other holidays, nowhere else is a customary food associated with a formulaic device such as this. And why don’t we just come out and ask G-d for our needs? Why are specific foods necessary to punctuate our request?
The practice is based on a Gemara and there is definitely something of import going on. In fact, the Sefas Emes cautions us not to take this custom lightly. He says that we should not simply recite the request, rather, we should implore Him with all of our hearts. Our heartfelt plea may arouse His mercy; it should also make us more aware of how vulnerable we are and how much we depend upon Hashem’s benevolence.
The foods we use serve as a remez, a hint. We use them as to “remind” Hashem of our physical needs. No, Hashem does not need reminding; we and our needs are constantly on His “mind.”
We know that it is our overriding task on Rosh Hashanah to enthrone Hashem. On inauguration day, we do not bother the King with our daily worries. But it is perfectly acceptable, even praiseworthy, to give a sign, a siman, that we depend on our Him for everything. By making these requests in the form of a hint, we relegate our needs to a place of lesser importance. We state our awareness that Crowning Hashem King is what fills up the day.
Traditionally we eat these vegetables because their names sound like, and therefore hint to, the good we hope Hashem will bring in the new year.
Leeks, in Aramaic: karasi, which also means “to cut off.”
May our enemies be cut off!
Carrots, in Yiddish meheren, which also means “increase.”
May our merit increase!
Beets, in Areamaic, silka, which also means “remove,”
May our adversaries be removed!
Dates, in Aramaic, tamrai, which sounds like “consume,”
May our adversaries be consumed!
Gourd (such as pumpkin, winter squash), in Aramaic, kara,
which also means “tear & proclaim”
May our sentences be torn and our merits proclaimed!
Pomegranate, because of its many seeds.
May our merits be as numerous as the seeds of a pomegranate
Fish or Sheep Head, because of the verse in Devarim:
“…Hashem shall place you as a head (strong) and not as a tail (weak)”
May we be like the head and not like the tail!
Any food that carries an association in any language works just as well, so you can have fun with this practice:
Chicken livers, in Yiddish, leberlach, which sounds like “live honestly.”
May our children always live honestly!
Celery and raisins, in English, sounds like a “raise in salary.”
May Hashem provide for us a raise in salary!
Renee Chernin lives with her husband, David, in Jerusalem’s Old City where she writes and cooks on her forthcoming cookbook, Cooking for The King, the book of Torah insights, recipes and cooking tips designed to bring majesty to the mundane. Get a glimpse of her essays and recipes on thekosherchannel.com
SALAD SIMANIM
This sweet salad is a time saver, its jewel tones a sight to behold plus it’s fun to eat. All components may be made ahead of time and assembled for an impressively easy presentation of the simanim at the beginning of your Rosh Hashanna meal. It contains most symbolic foods; to include the gourd, you may sprinkle the top with toasted pumpkin seeds or make the delicious Ginger Pumpkin Souffle.
¼ cup vegetable oil
juice of two medium limes
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon raspberry spread
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 beet, peeled and shredded
1 granny smith apple, peeled and shredded
2 leeks, white part only, washed well and sliced thinly
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
3 dates, diced-optional
3 cups soft lettuce
1. In a small bowl whisk together oil, lime juice, honey, raspberry spread, cinnamon, salt and pepper. (May prepare dressing 5 days ahead, keep tightly covered in refrigerator.)
2. In a small pan, heat oil to very hot. Fry leeks until golden brown, 3-5 minutes, and drain on paper towels. Cool and store in a covered container. (Keeps for 2 weeks stored in a plastic bag in the freezer.)
3. In a medium bowl, toss carrots, beets and apple with just enough dressing to coat. You may toss and store them separately to maintain their colors or toss them together in which case the apple and carrot will take on the ruby tint of the beets. Refrigerate until cold. (may prepare one day ahead)
4. When ready to serve, assemble salad either on individual plates or on a serving platter. On a bed of lettuce, mound the carrot, beet and apple, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, dates if using, and fried leeks. Serve extra dressing on the side.
Makes: 8-12 servings
Can make ahead
Active time: 30 minutes
GINGER PUMPKIN SOUFFLÉ
This is a very versatile recipe. You can easily substitute carrots or butternut squash for the pumpkin. And if ginger is not your choice, use cinnamon or allspice. I have included a low fat option for those of us who shy away from margarine these days. It’s sweet for the new year and cake-like so that kids of all ages will enjoy.
3 pounds peeled and cubed pumpkin, or 2 (15 ½ ounce) cans pureed
1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ cup margarine, softened or applesauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup flour
3 eggs
1. If using fresh pumpkin, heat a saucepan of water over medium high heat, boil pumpkin 45 minutes to an hour until very soft. Add water as needed to keep pumpkin covered. Drain well. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place slightly cooled, still warm pumpkin or canned pumpkin in the work bowl of a food processor. Add sugar, baking powder, vanilla, ginger, margarine or applesauce and oil. Process until very smooth. Add flour, mix well. Add eggs one at a time, blending after each addition.
7. Pour mixture into one 9x13 inch baking dish-or two smaller casseroles, sprayed with vegetable spray.
8. Bake in preheated over for1 hour or until top is light brown and soufflé is set (does not wiggle when pan is shaken).
Makes: 12-15 servings
Active time: 20 minutes
Can make ahead
Cooking time: 2 hours
Can freeze
