48 | SEPTEMBER 2 • 2021
ROSH HASHANAH
A
pples and honey are
certainly popular sym-
bols of Rosh Hashanah,
but pomegranates play a signifi-
cant role during this holiday and
in Jewish history as well.
A simple online search about
pomegranates yielded many
articles, recipes, historical and
biblical references, explana-
tions of their symbolism to
many cultures as well as botan-
ical and health information.
Pomegranates also have a long
Judaic history — from Jewish
ritual objects to ancient Jewish
coins, to Jewish cuisine, and
Jewish art, architecture and jew-
elry.
Pomegranates, said to have
originated in Iran and grown
in the Mediterranean region
since ancient times, are among
the oldest cultivated fruit trees
in the world. King Solomon
used pomegranates as capitals
for the columns of the First
Temple, later destroyed by the
Babylonians. Solomon also saw
pomegranates as symbols of love
and fertility, using a pomegran-
ate metaphor to describe a lovely
young woman in Song of Songs
4:3.
Priests during the Second
Temple period had pomegran-
ates embroidered on their robes.
Ancient — and contemporary —
Jewish coins are decorated with
pomegranates. And the fruit
often is seen on decorative silver
covers for Torah scrolls, called
rimonim, Hebrew for pomegran-
ates.
Perhaps the best-known
reason for the pomegranate’s
symbolism at Rosh Hashanah
comes from the belief that the
fruit contains 613 seeds (arils), a
number that corresponds to the
613 mitzvot or commandments
in the Torah. Though many
websites say the number of arils
varies with each pomegranate,
the mitzvot theory persists.
According to the website myjew-
ishlearning.com, a Sephardic
Rosh Hashanah tradition before
eating the seeds is to say, “May
we be as full of mitzvot (com-
mandments) as the pomegranate
is full of seeds.
”
On the second night of Rosh
Hashanah, some Jews say the
blessing of the new fruit over
a pomegranate, a fruit that is
not often eaten, thus making it
“new.
”
FUN FACTS
These tidbits were culled from
various online resources.
• Pomegranates are mentioned
in the Torah as one of Israel’s
famed “seven species,
” along with
wheat, barley, grapes, figs, olives
and dates. (myjewishlearning.
com)
• In the Torah, Moses’ 12 spies
brought back a pomegranate
to show the fertility of the land
while they were checking out
Canaan.
(nocamels.com)
• The word for pomegran-
ate in Hebrew is rimon — the
same word as grenade. Imagine
throwing a pomegranate and,
on impact, having its seeds
“explode” out of its skin. This is
a Greek tradition that persists
from ancient times. Smashing a
pomegranate on New Year’s Day
symbolizes life and good fortune.
(greekreporter.com)
• There is speculation in sev-
Learn why this fruit has a role to play
during the High Holidays.
KERI GUTEN COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Passionate
About
Pomegranates
Pomegranates first start
to appear in U.S. markets
in late summer, with the
primary season running from
October through January.
ELLA OLSSON/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
continued on page 50
L’Shana Tova
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friends and families
a healthy, sweet
New Year...
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