Rosh Hashana is traditional food time

Fish keeps away the evil eye while apples symbolize hope.

By MATTHEW WAGNER
pomegranate 88 (photo credit: )
pomegranate 88
(photo credit: )
Some might call it superstitious, but Israelis, in accordance with Jewish tradition, believe in starting off the New Year eating foodstuffs that symbolize protection from the evil eye, the good life, and finding favor in the eyes of God. According to figures released Tuesday by the Agriculture Ministry, Israelis eat significantly larger quantities of fish, honey, pomegranates and apples in the Jewish month of Tishrei, which begins the Jewish New Year, than they do in any other month. The Jewish religion encourages its adherents to eat these products in the hope that they will be a good omen for the coming year. Rosh Hashana is considered a propitious time to make a new start. Improving one's self and making resolutions is an integral part of the holiday. But so is symbolism. Eating fish is considered a good way to start off the year because fish are supposedly immune to the evil eye. Under water, far from the sight of anyone, fish are fruitful and multiply. Jews eat fish in the hope that some of this immunity will rub off. The average Israeli eats, on average, 1.7 kilograms of fish during the month of Tishrei, compared to 800 grams on average during other months of the year, according to Agriculture Ministry figures. Israelis are not big fish-eaters during the year compared to other Mediterranean peoples, who eat on average between 20 and 40 kg a year. But they eat more than the six to seven kg eaten by Americans. Honey is another positive omen. Some 40 percent of the annual consumption of honey takes place around Rosh Hashana. The tradition is to dip apples in the honey in the hope that the coming year will be sweet like apples and honey. Besides its sweetness, honey also is mentioned in the bible in connection with the Land of Israel, which is described as "flowing with milk and honey," even though the honey mentioned in the bible is date honey, not bee honey. The apple is an allusion to the verse from the Song of Songs "under the apple tree I aroused your love." Eating the apple symbolizes our hope that God will look lovingly upon us. Meanwhile, some 70% of the total area devoted to the growth of pomegranates (6,500 dunams worth) is earmarked for Rosh Hashana. Traditionally, Jews blessed themselves by eating the pomegranate while stating, "Let us be full of merits like the pomegranate". The number of seeds in the pomegranate is supposed to correspond to the number of biblical commandments - 613.