All cultures set aside a special day to commemorate the “New Year.” The first day of the year is a legitimate cause for celebration: After all, we have merited the reaching of another year, together with the rest of humanity.
It is interesting to note that rather than note the arrival of the new year, the Jewish tradition marks the arrival of Rosh Hashanah, the “Head of the Year.” Why did the Sages choose the expression “Head of the Year,” rather than use the common and understandable form “New Year”?
It appears that the combination “Rosh Hashanah” has meaning beyond the conventional “New Year.”
The word shanah, year, implies something that is second (sheini), or more precisely something that is repeated over and over. This is the nature of the yearly cycle. Years come and go, and, in the words of Koheles, “Nothing is new under the sun.” The circle of years, coming one after the other, is closed.
The day of Rosh Hashanah implies the penetration of a closed circle by something new. In the Jewish tradition, the New Year is also the Day of Judgment, the day on which judgment is passed upon all living creatures for the coming year.
This judgment is not something that simply repeats itself year after year. Each year brings a new judgment, based on the deeds we perform and the choices we make. The judgment of Rosh Hashanah introduces human free will, and the very concept of change and innovation, into the closed circle of the year.
The perfect simile for the relationship between the day of Rosh Hashanah and the rest of the year is the relationship between the head and the body. In itself, the body does not know any innovation. It lives, sometimes in better health and sometimes in worse, for its set number of years. The innovation that the body does know, its ability to perform good deeds, its creativity and its mitzvos – these come from the head.
Just as the head is the command center for the entire body, leading it in the way that we choose – so Rosh Hashanah is the command center for the entire year. The “chiddushim” of the year ahead are latent in the day of Rosh Hashanah. The new elements that each year brings us are only the final expressions of day.
In practice, the prominent difference between the universal New Year and our Rosh Hashanah is a huge cleavage in the nature of the day. The universal New Year is a time of partying and frivolity. Rosh Hashanah is a time of prayer, introspection, serious, and a mode of rejoicing that suits the special atmosphere of the day.
For them, it is merely a New Year. For us, it is the Head of the Year.
Wishing all readers a Kesivah Ve-Chasimah Tovah – in the Book of the Truly Righteous.
The Question:
I enjoy spicy foods. Can I have spicy foods on Rosh Hashona?
For example: horseradish on gefilte fish, sechug with the meat, onions in the chicken dish, and so on.
Answer:
There is an ancient custom, which is already mentioned by the Geonim, to avoid eating sour foods on Rosh Hashanah (the specific food mentioned is chicken in vinegar). This custom is mentioned by many authorities, including the Ben Ish Chai (Nitzavim 5), the Peri Megadim and Mishnah Berurah (583:5), the Chayei Adam (139:6), and the Chida in several places.
However, there is room to distinguish between sour foods and spicy foods. Sour foods are a symbol of something that has gone bad — such as wine that has gone sour — whereas spicy foods do not denote anything ‘bad,’ and on the contrary, they are considered superior for their taste.
Therefore, whereas sour foods are a ‘bad omen,’ it appears that there is nothing wrong with eating spicy foods on Rosh Hashanah.
It is noteworthy that the Mateh Efraim (583:3) mentions bitter foods together with sour foods — but bitter foods are once again quite distinct from spicy foods, and although there is room to compare the bitter with the sour, poskim do not make a comparison between spicy and sour foods.
Best wishes.
