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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