Rosh HaShana is not only the first day of the year, but also the head [rosh] of the entire year. Just as the head of a person leads and directs all the limbs of the body, so too, Rosh HaShana can have an impact on the forthcoming year. Based on this idea, various customs have been introduced whose purpose is to augur good fortune for the new year.

It is customary to eat sweet foods on Rosh HaShana and to refrain from eating spicy or sour dishes, so that the coming year will be sweet. Likewise, there is a widespread custom to partake of foods whose taste or names allude to abundance and prosperity.

There is a custom not to eat nuts on Rosh HaShana, as the numerical value of egoz, the Hebrew word for “nut,” is identical to that of the word for het, sin (not counting the silent letter alef at the end of het). There is also another, highly practical reason for this custom: Consuming nuts creates a lot of phlegm, which makes it more difficult to recite the many prayers of this day.

Additionally, in a practice unrelated to food, one should try as much as possible to avoid anger and quarrels on Rosh HaShana, so as not to arouse divine anger for the coming year. One should make an effort not to sleep during the daytime of Rosh HaShana, so that one’s fortune [mazal] should not be dormant in the upcoming year.

The special foods eaten on Rosh HaShana, as a sign that the next year should be one of abundance and blessing, are appropriately called simanim (or in singular, siman), which means signs.

In many communities, it is customary before partaking of each siman to recite a prayer formula that begins with the following standard phrase:

“May it be Your will (some add: Lord our God and God of our fathers)”

The formula continues with a prayer that suits the specific food being eaten. Some recite this formula before the blessing; they first say: “May it be Your will…,” and then recite the blessing for the food itself, whether it be “…who creates the fruit of the tree,” or “…who creates fruit of the ground,” or “…by whose word all things came to be,” depending on the nature of the food being eaten. A single blessing is sufficient for all types of food covered by that blessing; see p. 514. Others recite the prayer formula after saying the blessing and taking a bite of the food. And there are also those, such as the Lubavitch Hasidim, who recite the formula between the blessing and the eating.

The following are the most common simanim used in most communities, some of which are mentioned in the Talmud:

Apple dipped in honey:

“…that You initiate for us a good and sweet year (some add: from the beginning of the year until its conclusion).”

Gourd [kara]:

“…that You tear up [tikra] the evil decree against us, and that our merit be read out [yikaru] before You.”

Fenugreek [rubya] or cowpea [luvya]:

“…that our merits increase [yirbu] (those who eat luvya add: and You hearten us [utlabeveinu]).”

Leek [karti]:

“…that our enemies (some add: those who hate us and all those who seek our misfortune) be cut off [yikartu].”

Beet/spinach [silka]:

“…that our enemies (some add: those who hate us and all those who seek our misfortune) be removed [yistalku].”

Date [tamar]:

“…that our enemies (some add: those who hate us and all those who seek our misfortune) cease [yitamu].”

Pomegranate [rimon]:

“…that our merits increase like [the seeds of] a pomegranate [rimon].”

Head of a fish or lamb:

“…that we be the head [rosh] and not the tail.”

Those who are particular to eat the head of a lamb do so in order to invoke the merit of our forefather Abraham, who through supreme heroism withstood the trial of bringing his son Isaac for a sacrifice, and eventually offered a ram on the altar in his stead.

Fish [dag]:

“…that we be fruitful and multiply like fish [dag].”

The simanim are eaten at the nighttime meals of Rosh HaShana, although some have them only on the first night of the festival. There are also varying customs with regard to the exact timing. Some eat the simanim between Kiddush and the washing of the hands. Others have the custom to eat them after partaking of the bread. Yet others spread out the consumption of the simanim throughout the meal, with the sweet foods kept to the end and eaten as a dessert.

If the simanim are eaten between Kiddush and the start of the meal, one should recite the appropriate blessing before eating them, unless one has already recited that blessing over a different one of the simanim. In the event that one is about to eat several foods one after the other, it would be preferable to recite the blessing on fruit over a fruit from the seven species mentioned in Deuteronomy 8:8. In this case, one would recite the blessing over the dates, and if he does not have dates, than he would recite it over the pomegranate. If he does not have either one of those fruits, he would recite the blessing over whichever fruit he likes best. Some prefer to eat the apple first even if they have dates and pomegranates. In such a case, it would be preferable to bring those fruits to the table after he has recited the blessing over the apple. It should be noted that the blessings on fruit and on produce grown in the ground, such as vegetables, should precede the blessing: “…by whose word all things came to be,” recited over the head of the fish or lamb.

If one eats the simanim after eating bread, one should recite a blessing only on foods that are not considered part of the meal, that is, only on the fruit, not the vegetables, fish, or meat.

As with every Shabbat and festival, two whole loaves of bread [lehem mishneh] are placed on the table for each Rosh HaShana meal. But unlike other Shabbatot and festivals, when the first slice of bread of the meal is dipped in salt, on Rosh HaShana the first slice is eaten with honey, and some have the custom of dipping it in sugar. Some place a salt shaker on the table as well as a honey dish, and there are those who dip the slice in a little salt after applying the honey. In some communities it is the custom to eat the bread with honey on all the Shabbatot and festivals between Rosh HaShana and Simhat Torah.

In Grace after Meals, the Ya’aleh VeYavo prayer is added, mentioning therein “this Day of Remembrance.” At the end of Grace after Meals, two additional lines beginning with the words “The Compassionate One” [Haraĥaman] are added: The standard one for every festival, “May the Compassionate One endow us with the day that is all good,” and a special one for Rosh HaShana: “May the Compassionate One renew this year for us for goodness and for a blessing.”

When Rosh HaShana occurs on a Shabbat, a passage is added to Grace after Meals in order to mention Shabbat. The passage of Retzeh is added before Ya’aleh VeYavo, and later in Grace after Meals one recites: “May the Compassionate One allow us to inherit the day [in the World to Come] that will be an eternal Shabbat and everlasting rest.”

Some have the custom of learning one chapter of mishnayot from tractate Rosh HaShana after each of the four meals of the festival (two on each day), thereby finishing all four chapters of the tractate over the course of the festival.