The Simanim of Rosh Hashanah and Their Meaning
At the Rosh Hashanah table, every food becomes a prayer. Even before the first course, the simanim are shared: dishes chosen for what they evoke, each accompanied by a simple wish. A gentle way of opening the year with words and signs turned toward the good.
Signs That Speak
The word siman means “sign.” According to tradition, the first evening of Rosh Hashanah lends itself to a small ritual full of warmth: a few foods are presented whose name, in Hebrew or Aramaic, echoes like a wish. A play on words becomes an intention, a fruit becomes a prayer.
The most common practice is to taste each dish while saying the words that go with it. Nothing solemn about it: many families see in it, above all, a joyful way of bringing young and old together, and starting the year on a note of hope.
Opening the year with gentle words is already wishing it to be beautiful.
Each Food, Its Wish
The dishes vary from one family and community to another, but some appear almost everywhere. Here are the best known, and the wish attached to each:
- Apple and honey: the wish for a good and sweet year.
- Dates (“tamar”): that those who wish us ill may cease (she'yitamou), and that hatred may fade away.
- The pomegranate (“rimon”): that our merits be as numerous as its seeds.
- Squash or pumpkin (“kra”): that any harsh decree be torn up (yikra) and our merit proclaimed.
- The leek (“karti”): that those who oppose us be cut off (yikartu).
- Beetroot or chard (“silka”): that those hostile to us may withdraw (yistalku).
- The head, of a fish or a lamb (“rosh”): to be at the head and not the tail, to move forward.
The Fish, and the Spirit of the Gesture
Many add fish, a symbol of fertility and multiplication: the wish is then to multiply and prosper as it does. Other families add new seasonal fruits or dishes dear to them; practices vary, and that's just as it should be.
Because the overall spirit matters more than the list itself. According to tradition, it is about opening the year with words and signs turned toward the good: sweetness rather than bitterness, forward motion rather than fear. Each table thus tells a slightly different story, and that is what makes it precious.
Showcasing Them at the Table
Since these dishes are shared at the very start of the meal, they deserve a beautiful presentation. A dedicated tray brings them together elegantly and turns the ritual into a true moment: everyone sees, chooses, makes their wish. At Lyora, the SIMA tray and the LEV tray were designed just for this.
The pomegranate, for its part, lends itself wonderfully to decoration: a few fruits at the center of the table, pomegranate napkin rings to echo its pattern, and the holiday is already there. And to give all these attentions in one gesture, a Tova gift set brings together the essentials of a beautiful Rosh Hashanah evening.
Sources: the simanim (symbolic foods) of Rosh Hashanah and the wishes (“Yehi Ratson”) that go with them most often rely on a play on words with the Hebrew or Aramaic name of each food. Practices differ between communities. Editorial summary by Lyora Création — for practice, please consult your rabbi.
