Source
Over apple and honey:
May it be Your will, God and God of our ancestors, that You renew us for a good and sweet year.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, ה’ אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ וֵא-לֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁתְחַדֵשׁ עָלֵינוּ שָׁנָה טוֹבָה וּמְתוּקָה.
Over the head of a fish:
May it be Your will, God and God of our ancestors, that we be as the head and not as the tail.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, ה’ אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ וֵא-לֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁנִּהְיֶה לְרֹאשׁ וְלֹא לְזָנָב.
Over pomegranate:
May it be Your will, God and God of our ancestors, that our merits increase like the seeds of a pomegranate.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, ה’ אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ וֵא-לֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁנַּרְבֶּה זְכֻיּוֹת כָּרִמּוֹן.
Over carrot:
May it be Your will, God and God of our ancestors, that You tear up a bad sentence against us.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, ה’ אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ וֵא-לֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁתִּקְרַע רוֹעַ גְּזַר דִּינֵנוּ.
Over dates:
May it be Your will, God and God of our ancestors, that our enemies be consumed.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, ה’ אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ וֵא-לֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁיִתַּמּוּ שׂוֹנְאֵינוּ.
Over beets:
May it be Your will, God and God of our ancestors, that our sins be removed.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, ה’ אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ וֵא-לֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁיִּסְתַּלְּקוּ עֲווֹנוֹתֵינוּ.
Foundations for Planning
Essential Questions
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How do Jewish practices reflect Jewish values?
- How are symbols used in celebrations and holidays?
Content Questions Related to the Essential Questions
- How do the symbolic acts at Rosh Hashanah encourage us to grow and change?
Background for Teacher
During the festive evening meal on Rosh Hashanah, it is traditional to eat special foods known in Hebrew as simanim – “signs” or symbols. Each food has its own blessing. The blessings refer to inherent properties of each food, or to a play on...
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During the festive evening meal on Rosh Hashanah, it is traditional to eat special foods known in Hebrew as simanim – “signs” or symbols. Each food has its own blessing. The blessings refer to inherent properties of each food, or to a play on words between the Hebrew name of the food and the message in the blessing. Some of the foods that are traditionally eaten include pomegranate, apple and honey, dates, beetroot, the head of a fish or sheep, and carrots. The blessings express the hope for a better year, without sins or enemies.
The list above includes just some of the “signs,” because it can be tricky explaining the Hebrew word plays to the students.
Explain the Hebrew puns (gezer – carrot / gzar din – judicial sentence; tamar – date / tam – finished; selek – beet / histalek – be removed, vanish). You could then illustrate the point by giving a couple of examples of similar word plays in English. For example – we could eat maize while wishing for an amazing new year; or lettuce while reciting “let us have a better year.”
Optional Hooks 
In-Depth Discussion 
Suggested Activities 
Further Study 
How to Do It? - Show the students the slide show with the symbols of the festival.
Click here to view our consolidated list of suggested interactive pedagogies for classroom discussion.
- Why do people make wishes at the beginning of a new year?
- Everyone begins a new year hoping for the best. What does it add to express these hopes in words?
- Why are the requests and hopes accompanied by symbolic actions? What effect can that have on the participants?
- What things is it important to you to refer to in your hopes and blessings for the new year? One option is to prepare a padlet page as in the example. Some themes already appear, and the students can add their hopes for the new year – for myself / my family / my friends / my society / the world.
- Do a kind of “Seder” for Rosh Hashanah. The teacher or students can bring foods from home according to the list (instead of a fish head you could use fish-shaped snacks). Cut up the foods and share them out on plates. Each time one student says the blessing and everyone eats the food.
- Add your own “signs” for the Rosh Hashanah meal and compose suitable blessings based on the properties of the object or based on word plays. Ask the students to bring various objects. Put them on a desk and invite the students to compose a blessing. For example, if someone brought pieces of Lego, the blessing might be for a year of building and creativity. The students can also suggest their own objects, of course.
- Learn about the Tashlich ceremony – another symbolic action performed at Rosh Hashanah.
- Listen to this song about the blessing “for a good a sweet year.”
- Blowing the shofar is another custom associate with Rosh Hashanah. Learn about the origins of this custom.
- Watch this clip showing how to prepare a Seder plate for Rosh Hashanah, including the names of the foods.
