Learn to Bless the Grape Juice and Wine (aka Kiddush!)
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For centuries, Sephardi Jewish families have gathered to celebrate a special Rosh Hashanah ceremony with a plate or meal of symbolic foods. Each food is eaten after requesting a specific kind of Divine blessing that sounds like the name of that food in Hebrew.
Before eating dates ( tamar ):
May it be your will, God, that hatred will end. ( Tamar resembles the word for end, yitamu. )
Before eating pomegranate:
May we be as full of mitzvot as the pomegranate is full of seeds.
Before eating apple:
May it be Your will, God, to renew for us a good and sweet year.
Before eating black-eyed peas or string beans ( rubia ):
May it be Your will, God, that our merits increase. ( Rubia resembles the word for increase, yirbu. )
Before eating pumpkin or gourd ( k’ra ):
May it be Your will, God, to tear away all evil decrees against us, as our merits are proclaimed before you. ( K’ra resembles the word for tear and proclaimed, likroah. )
Before eating spinach or beet leaves ( selek ):
May it be Your will, God, that all the enemies who might beat us will retreat, and we will beat a path to freedom ( Selek resembles the word for retreat, yistalku ).
Before eating leeks, chives, or scallions ( karti ):
May it be Your will, God, that our enemies be cut off. ( Karti resembles the word for cut off, yikartu. )
Since Rosh Hashanah means the head of the year, we eat foods that symbolize our wish to be heads, not tails in the year to come. Traditionally, families ate the head of a fish or sheep. You may want to instead enjoy a head of lettuce, or a more whimsical option involves gummy fish.
May it be Your will, God, that our heads remain clear and focused on creating a better world this year.
The following blessing is a feminist blessing that parallels traditional masculine language used by the majority of Jews. In using feminine language for God, we acknowledge the role of women in our ancestral tradition and the centrality of their place in our future.
בְּרוּכָה אַתְּ יָהּ אֱלֹהֵינוּ רוּחַ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁתְנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתֶיהָ וְצִוָּתְנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל שַׁבָּת
Barucha at yah, eloheinu ruach ha-olam, asher kidishanu bmitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel shabbat v'yom tov.
Blessed are you, sovereign, our God, breath of the world, who has commanded us to observe the deed of lighting shabbat and holiday candles.
On Rosh Hashanah, Jewish communities around the world celebrate the world’s birth and commemorate the creation of humankind.
Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe that follow charge those who celebrate to pause, look inward, and reflect on the past year. It is a time to undertake an inventory of the soul, a cheshbon hanefesh, and to ask of ourselves and of each other questions that go beyond our own individual faiths: Who do I want to be? What type of nation do we want to forge? What type of world do we want to create?
That is the message and gift of the Jewish New Year – a reminder of our infinite capacity to transform our lives and begin anew. To partner with the Divine and our fellow human beings in the ongoing work of creation. To rebuild our communities through empathy, acts of kindness, and compassion. To seek repentance, or teshuva, when we have fallen short of our values. Rosh Hashanah is a reaffirmation that we are each endowed, by virtue of our Creator and our common humanity, with the ability to bridge the gap between the world we see and the world we seek.
In that effort, we’ve made significant progress, but much work remains. To protect ourselves and each other against a once-in-a-century virus. To rebuild an economy that provides opportunity for all Americans. To give hate no safe harbor, and speak out with clarity and conviction against antisemitism wherever and however it manifests. To reaffirm our ironclad bond with the State of Israel.
May the year 5782 be a year of health, healing, and progress. And may we all be inscribed in the Book of Life.
Jill and I extend our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Rosh Hashanah in the United States, Israel, and around the world.
Shanah Tovah U’Metukah. May it be a sweet, healthy, and happy new year.
Rituals are the place where we blend memories, identities and meaning. Rosh Hashanah is known as a day of remembrance - a monumental moment - where we sit in the balance between past and future. We remember our ancestors and our actions as we reflect on what they have taught us.
Together, we raise a glass and make a toast to Remembrance with this quote from Abraham Joshua Heschel:
“The authentic individual is neither an end nor a beginning but a link between ages, both memory and expectation...to us, recollection is a holy act; we sanctify the present by remembering the past. To us Jews, the essence of faith is memory. To believe is to remember.”
Blessing of Memory
Zichronam livracha, tzedek v’shalom
May the memories of those we have lost be for a blessing of righteousness and peace.
Reflection Questions for Yom HaZikaron - Day of Remembrance
Where did I dedicate my time, energy and resources in the past year?
Who and what do I want to remember from the past year?
By Rabbi Paul Kipnes
With resounding hope for Jewish New Year 5781, we pray:
May we all test positive on our driving tests, negative on our Covid19 tests, and live to endure innumerable challenges that will test our mettle and our morals for years to come.
May our loved ones push our buttons only delicately, even as
Their opinions push us beyond our comfort zones refreshingly, and may we all
Push ourselves to become the compassionate and just people
We really ought to be.
May our blessing-counts be high,
Our debt burdens be low, and
Our blood pressure fall
in the sweet-spot that counts -
Between not too high and not too low,
Especially when we get together with those family members.
May our bank accounts increase mathematically, as
The virus ceases to multiply geometrically, and
May we all do the math in such a way that
Everyone has sufficient food, shelter, and healthcare, since
God gave us an abundance intentionally
For us to divide up equitably.
May the election give you hope, Even if the selection sometimes makes you worry,
but may we all vote nonetheless as if everything depends on it…
Because it does.
May our hearts open to each other,
Especially to those we do not know, even as
Our souls open to the Source of All Life,
Who knows more than we'd like to be known.
And may we feel in our kishkes (that's our insides)
The abundant blessings of the Holy One, as we say:
Adonai oz l’amo yitein. Adonai yivarech et amo vashalom.
May God grant strength unto our people.
May God bless all people – everywhere – with peace.
Learn to Bless the Grape Juice and Wine (aka Kiddush!)
Preview
More
For centuries, Sephardi Jewish families have gathered to celebrate a special Rosh Hashanah ceremony with a plate or meal of symbolic foods. Each food is eaten after requesting a specific kind of Divine blessing that sounds like the name of that food in Hebrew.
Before eating dates ( tamar ):
May it be your will, God, that hatred will end. ( Tamar resembles the word for end, yitamu. )
Before eating pomegranate:
May we be as full of mitzvot as the pomegranate is full of seeds.
Before eating apple:
May it be Your will, God, to renew for us a good and sweet year.
Before eating black-eyed peas or string beans ( rubia ):
May it be Your will, God, that our merits increase. ( Rubia resembles the word for increase, yirbu. )
Before eating pumpkin or gourd ( k’ra ):
May it be Your will, God, to tear away all evil decrees against us, as our merits are proclaimed before you. ( K’ra resembles the word for tear and proclaimed, likroah. )
Before eating spinach or beet leaves ( selek ):
May it be Your will, God, that all the enemies who might beat us will retreat, and we will beat a path to freedom ( Selek resembles the word for retreat, yistalku ).
Before eating leeks, chives, or scallions ( karti ):
May it be Your will, God, that our enemies be cut off. ( Karti resembles the word for cut off, yikartu. )
Since Rosh Hashanah means the head of the year, we eat foods that symbolize our wish to be heads, not tails in the year to come. Traditionally, families ate the head of a fish or sheep. You may want to instead enjoy a head of lettuce, or a more whimsical option involves gummy fish.
May it be Your will, God, that our heads remain clear and focused on creating a better world this year.
The following blessing is a feminist blessing that parallels traditional masculine language used by the majority of Jews. In using feminine language for God, we acknowledge the role of women in our ancestral tradition and the centrality of their place in our future.
בְּרוּכָה אַתְּ יָהּ אֱלֹהֵינוּ רוּחַ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁתְנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתֶיהָ וְצִוָּתְנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל שַׁבָּת
Barucha at yah, eloheinu ruach ha-olam, asher kidishanu bmitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel shabbat v'yom tov.
Blessed are you, sovereign, our God, breath of the world, who has commanded us to observe the deed of lighting shabbat and holiday candles.
On Rosh Hashanah, Jewish communities around the world celebrate the world’s birth and commemorate the creation of humankind.
Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe that follow charge those who celebrate to pause, look inward, and reflect on the past year. It is a time to undertake an inventory of the soul, a cheshbon hanefesh, and to ask of ourselves and of each other questions that go beyond our own individual faiths: Who do I want to be? What type of nation do we want to forge? What type of world do we want to create?
That is the message and gift of the Jewish New Year – a reminder of our infinite capacity to transform our lives and begin anew. To partner with the Divine and our fellow human beings in the ongoing work of creation. To rebuild our communities through empathy, acts of kindness, and compassion. To seek repentance, or teshuva, when we have fallen short of our values. Rosh Hashanah is a reaffirmation that we are each endowed, by virtue of our Creator and our common humanity, with the ability to bridge the gap between the world we see and the world we seek.
In that effort, we’ve made significant progress, but much work remains. To protect ourselves and each other against a once-in-a-century virus. To rebuild an economy that provides opportunity for all Americans. To give hate no safe harbor, and speak out with clarity and conviction against antisemitism wherever and however it manifests. To reaffirm our ironclad bond with the State of Israel.
May the year 5782 be a year of health, healing, and progress. And may we all be inscribed in the Book of Life.
Jill and I extend our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Rosh Hashanah in the United States, Israel, and around the world.
Shanah Tovah U’Metukah. May it be a sweet, healthy, and happy new year.
Rituals are the place where we blend memories, identities and meaning. Rosh Hashanah is known as a day of remembrance - a monumental moment - where we sit in the balance between past and future. We remember our ancestors and our actions as we reflect on what they have taught us.
Together, we raise a glass and make a toast to Remembrance with this quote from Abraham Joshua Heschel:
“The authentic individual is neither an end nor a beginning but a link between ages, both memory and expectation...to us, recollection is a holy act; we sanctify the present by remembering the past. To us Jews, the essence of faith is memory. To believe is to remember.”
Blessing of Memory
Zichronam livracha, tzedek v’shalom
May the memories of those we have lost be for a blessing of righteousness and peace.
Reflection Questions for Yom HaZikaron - Day of Remembrance
Where did I dedicate my time, energy and resources in the past year?
Who and what do I want to remember from the past year?
By Rabbi Paul Kipnes
With resounding hope for Jewish New Year 5781, we pray:
May we all test positive on our driving tests, negative on our Covid19 tests, and live to endure innumerable challenges that will test our mettle and our morals for years to come.
May our loved ones push our buttons only delicately, even as
Their opinions push us beyond our comfort zones refreshingly, and may we all
Push ourselves to become the compassionate and just people
We really ought to be.
May our blessing-counts be high,
Our debt burdens be low, and
Our blood pressure fall
in the sweet-spot that counts -
Between not too high and not too low,
Especially when we get together with those family members.
May our bank accounts increase mathematically, as
The virus ceases to multiply geometrically, and
May we all do the math in such a way that
Everyone has sufficient food, shelter, and healthcare, since
God gave us an abundance intentionally
For us to divide up equitably.
May the election give you hope, Even if the selection sometimes makes you worry,
but may we all vote nonetheless as if everything depends on it…
Because it does.
May our hearts open to each other,
Especially to those we do not know, even as
Our souls open to the Source of All Life,
Who knows more than we'd like to be known.
And may we feel in our kishkes (that's our insides)
The abundant blessings of the Holy One, as we say:
Adonai oz l’amo yitein. Adonai yivarech et amo vashalom.
May God grant strength unto our people.
May God bless all people – everywhere – with peace.
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