Some people go to great lengths to find every siman listed in the machzor. One year, my wife asked me to buy black-eyed peas. The supermarket was sold out of the raw beans, but I managed to find canned ones. She proudly served them, only to realize that her machzor didn’t even list black-eyed peas as a siman. Not knowing which Yehi Ratzon to say, I offered: “May all our enemies get a black eye.” Somehow, it didn’t feel right.
It turns out, however, that black-eyed peas are commonly identified with “rubia” mentioned in the Gemara. In fact, we had said the proper Yehi Ratzon—just on a different variety of food.
The following year, remembering that the peas had sold out, I bought a bag early. Yet with all my foresight, the bag still sits untouched in the pantry. My wife said she preferred the canned ones anyway, so that’s what we used. If you ever see an anonymous post announcing a curb alert for a bag of black-eyed peas, you’ll know the source! (Black-eyed peas may have infestation issues.)
The Tension in Halacha
The practice of eating symbolic foods on Rosh Hashana night is not without controversy. The Gemara in Sanhedrin (65b) defines an “enchanter”—forbidden by the Torah (Devarim 18:10)—as one who relies on omens: if his bread falls, if a staff slips, if a raven screeches, or if a fox crosses his path. Similarly, if he tells a tax collector, “Don’t take from me first, it’s a bad sign,” or “Don’t take from me today, because it’s Rosh Chodesh,” this is prohibited divination.
The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 179) codifies this halacha. Indeed, in the very same siman, it lists eating certain foods before a bris milah as an example of forbidden superstition. At first glance, then, the Rosh Hashana simanim seem to contradict halacha.
And yet, the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 583) explicitly encourages eating these foods as good omens on Rosh Hashana.
Sources in the Gemara
The source is a teaching of Abaye in two places. In Horiyos 12b he says: A person should be accustomed on Rosh Hashana to gaze upon gourd, rubia, leek, beets, and dates.
Interestingly, the word there is “gaze,” not “eat.” But in Kerisus 6a, the same passage appears with the word “eat.” Many commentators hold that the Horiyos text is a scribal error, and the Kerisus version is correct.
Rav Moshe Shternbuch, however, explains why “gazing” might actually be preferable. If one eats the food, maybe it’s just because he’s hungry; he happens to enjoy head of lamb with black-eyed peas on the side. By gazing without eating, it’s clear he is performing the simanim.
The Kaf HaChayim therefore rules: if someone cannot eat a siman—whether for health, personal taste, or halachic concerns like insect infestation—he may simply look at the item and recite the Yehi Ratzon. In fact, he adds, one may even say the Yehi Ratzon without the food at all. Ultimately, it is a tefillah. Some have the custom only to use Hashem’s name if they are actually eating the siman and on traditional simanim. Some individuals have a tradition of using Hashem’s name only when actually eating the symbolic food item itself, and specifically for the traditional simanim. Otherwise they say “Yehi ratzon lifnei avinu she’baShamayim….
Reconciling the Contradiction
How do we reconcile the prohibition in Sanhedrin with the encouragement in Kerisus?
The Meiri explains that the prohibition applies when a person believes the omen itself has power. The simanim of Rosh HaShanah are not magical omens but symbols meant to inspire teshuvah. Precisely because of the danger of mistaking them for charms, Chazal instituted the practice of reciting a prayer with them, directing the focus to Hashem.
This is striking. Abaye, a great sage, deeply aware of the seriousness of Rosh Hashana, nevertheless found inspiration in simple symbolic foods. If Abaye needed such reminders, how much more do we.
Still, this explanation is not universally accepted. As many note, the Gemara never mentions reciting a Yehi Ratzon. If it were essential, surely it would have been emphasized.
The Maharal (Chidushei Aggados) is emphatic: “This is not a small matter. The Ramban wrote that even prophets used simanim… Therefore, those who dismiss the practice as sorcery should be silenced.”
The Ramban, referenced by the Maharal, comments on Bereishis 12:6 that the prophets would employ physical symbols to concretize Hashem’s decrees. Yirmiyahu told Baruch to tie a scroll to a rock and throw it into the Euphrates to symbolize Bavel sinking. The Ramban says that even Hashem told Avraham to use a siman. Hashem told Avraham to walk the length and breadth of Eretz Yisrael, not to acquire it but to manifest His promise. In Melachim II 13, Elisha instructed King Yoash to shoot arrows eastward and then strike the ground, symbolizing Israel’s victories over Aram. Because Yoash struck only three times, Elisha was upset—his half-hearted performance limited the salvation. Elisha noted that had Yoash struck the ground six times, Aram would have been obliterated. The Ramban ends his explanation with this last example to emphasize the importance of simanim. The lesson here is that once a decree begins to take effect, it becomes more difficult to overturn. Rav Dovid Feinstein, zt”l, explained, based on the Gemara, that it is easier to pray for the maintenance of good health than to ask for a cure; maintaining the status quo requires less merit than changing reality. Similarly, starting the year with sweetness reflects our trust in Hashem, who has decreed a sweet year for us. Our prayers focus on ensuring that this sweetness continues. By performing the simanim, we concretize our hope that Hashem has already decreed blessings for the upcoming year. Therefore, all the simanim should be understood in this light: each siman symbolizes that a particular positive decree has already begun in a symbolic way. We daven that the positive decrees should continue.
Later Authorities and Customs
The Mishnah Berurah (583:5) records additional customs: avoiding sour foods (like borscht) or fish cooked in vinegar, and some avoid bitter or spicy foods. The Rema mentions dipping an apple in honey, a practice not found in the Gemara. Why specifically an apple? The Vilna Gaon notes that when Yaakov approached Yitzchak, the Torah says he smelled like “reiach ha’sadeh.” One Targum translates this as an apple orchard. According to the Zohar, Yitzchak blessed Yaakov on Rosh Hashana, making the apple doubly symbolic—both sweet and recalling Yaakov’s blessing.
Creative Simanim
In recent times, new simanim have been introduced:
• Lettuce + raisin + celery: “Let us have a raise in salary.” (Popularized by Rabbi Moshe Heineman, shlit”a.)
• Pear: “Sheyihyeh lanu pe’er tachas eifer – May we have glory instead of ashes.”
• Horned melon: “Shetarum karneinu – May our horn (strength) be raised.”
• Kiwi: “Shenireh bishu’asecha shekivinu lah – May we see the salvation we hoped for.”
• Starfruit: “Sheyidroch kochav miYaakov – May the star from Yaakov (Moshiach) arise.”
• Meat with two pieces of sole (to look at, not eat, as a segulah for shidduchim): “May we meet our soul mate.”
Maggid shiur and Rebbe at Yeshiva Ateres Shimon in Far Rockaway. He leads the Daf Yomi chaburah at Eitz Chayim of Dogwood Park in West Hempstead, and writes “Delving into the Daf” each week for The Jewish Home.
