The Deeper Meaning Behind The Yehi Ratzones/Simanim

One of my favorite customs on Rosh Hashana are the special foods that we eat in the evening meals and the prayers/requests that we say when we eat them. This custom is universally called using the Hebrew word simanim but in Seattle we call it by the Ladino - Yehi Ratzones.

Although this is mainly a Sephardic custom the idea of these special foods goes back to the Talmud. In Masekhet Horayot it mentions that certain fruits and vegetables should be seen on our tables on Rosh Hashana whereas in Masekhet Keritut these special foods should be eaten. In a third version the yehi ratzones need only be brought to the table.

The foods mentioned in the Talmud are kara, rubia, karti, silka and temarim. Kara is identified as pumpkin, karti as leeks, silka as beets and temarim are dates. However, rubia is disputed. Some consider them to be black eyed peas others identify them as fenugreek. The medieval commentator Rashi explains that all these foods grow quickly so the idea is if we see/eat or bring these foods to the table we will have a productive year ahead.

Some questioned this practice because it looks like we believe by eating or seeing these foods automatically we will have a good year and this could be a form of divination or sorcery. However, many halakhic decisors come to the defense of this beautiful custom by stating these are merely omens and our sincere wish for a good year ahead. As a result it is the yehi ratzones – the prayers or requests that are said over these items which are far more significant. It is not the eating of them that we believe will cause a good year rather it is our hope that Hashem will grant us a good year.

There are other items we have for the yehi ratzones that are quintessentially considered to be Rosh Hashana. Apples and Honey, eating fish and having a fish or lamb’s head. On the 2^nd night we have a pomegranate. All of these items have similar meanings to those identified in the Talmud. The fish or lamb’s head represents our hope that we be at the forefront of things and not in the background. Lambs' heads are very rarely seen these days, but my father recalls that his Grandfather always had a piece of meat from a lamb’s head at his Rosh Hashana and it was a great delicacy. Whether it is a fish head or a lamb’s head I’m very happy to fulfill the custom of just seeing it and not having to eat it!

These special supplications or bakashot are very poetic and are generally word plays on the fruits. Jerry Adatto brought to my attention the flowery language that Reverend David de Sola Pool used in the Spanish and Portuguese Rosh Hashana Prayer Book for these supplications. He doesn’t just translate the Hebrew supplication he uses beautiful artistic license too. For example on leeks he says “like as we eat this leek, may our luck never lack in the year to come”. Even though the Hebrew talks of our enemies being cut down from before us. On beets he writes “As we bite this beet, may those who in the past have beaten us or sought our harm beat to cover in the coming year”. On this occasion this is a paraphrase of the Hebrew but it shows you his literary style.

It has become a great game which I love to play using word plays in different languages not just in Hebrew. For example Rabbi Heinemann introduced a now famous custom throughout the Jewish world to take lettuce, half a raisin and celery as an indication to “let us have a raise in salary”. The Rubissa likes to put out cinnamon cookies and say “may our sins be kept to a minimum”. I am sure that you can all come up with your own funny puns for your own tables.

Wishing you and your families not only a good year ahead. But a year of finding the deeper meanings behind our beautiful customs. May we all grow together and invigorate our wonderful community.

Tizku LeShanim Rabbot Neimot VeTovot

Preparing for Tisha B'Av

I'm calling this blog post preparing for Tisha B'Av because the mourning customs we have leading up to the fast day are all designed to prepare us for the intensity of the day. Without preparation a person can struggle to really feel the significance and poignancy of the day.

In just over 3 weeks we will commemorate Tisha B'av when we will mourn the destruction of our two holy temples and every Jewish tragedy that has befallen our people from the sin of the spies to the holocaust. There is no other day like Tisha B'Av. At the same time it is hard to feel a personal tragedy for the destruction of the 2nd temple that happened almost 2000 years ago. This is something our rabbis understood very well and as such they instituted a number of mourning customs to lead up to this sobering day.

The customs of different Jewish communities vary, I will try and concentrate on the main ones and explain them a little bit. 

There are four stages of mourning. The first stage is the 17th of Tammuz till Rosh Hodesh. In this period Sephardim don't listen to music or wear new clothes or say the blessing of Shehecheyanu on a new fruit except on Shabbat. When it comes to buying new things the general rule is it is forbidden unless the sale is an unusually great sale. Then the purchase can be bought and used after Tisha B'Av. Likewise for major purchases like a car or a house, one should avoid the purchase unless the availability will vanish if delayed. Such purchases should not be used till after Tisha B'Av

The next period of mourning intensity is from Rosh Hodesh Av till Shabbat. The third period is called Shevua Shechal Bo - the week that Tisha B'Av falls. (E.g. if Tisha B'Av falls on a Monday night/Tuesday then Shevua Shechal Bo is from Saturday night until midday the day after the fast.) Finally we have the most severe mourning customs on Tisha B'Av itself. Generally speaking the Sephardic customs are more lenient than for Ashkenazim. 


Starting on Rosh Hodesh and including Rosh Hodesh Jews from Turkey, as well as Ashkenazim have the custom to abstain from meat (including chicken) and wine until the 10th of Av. The exception being on Shabbat when we eat meat to the same level that we would on a regular Shabbat. Other Sephardic communities including many from Rhodes refrain from meat from the 2nd of Av till the 10th. When it comes to drinking the wine/grape juice after havdallah, Ashkenazim give the cup to a child whereas for us we follow Rabbi Yosef Caro and drink it ourselves.

Shevuah Shechal Bo
Starting from Saturday night, Sephardic men refrain from haircuts and shaving. (Some follow the custom of our Ashkenazic brothers and do not have haircuts for the entire three week period from the 17th of Tammuz.) We do not do any laundry, we only take cold showers, we only change our undergarments or any clothes that are soiled. We also aren't allowed to go swimming for pleasure (and most people don't have swimming lessons either since they can be fun too).

This year since Tisha B'Av is nidche (pushed off) to Sunday. Many halachic authorities do not consider there a need to have a Shevuah Shechal Bo at all. As such it is permitted to do laundry and shower and even to swim. Most people are strict and avoid having haircuts. 

Erev Tisha B'Av
The day before Tisha B'Av we continue to learn Torah until sunset. (Ashkenazim stop learning regular Torah portions at midday.) After this time we are only allowed to learn Torah that is upsetting such as reading Eicha - The book of Lamentations describing the destruction of the First Temple, Sefe Iyov - The Book of Job, Sections from the prophet Jeremiah, Sections from the Talmud dealing with the destruction of the First and Second Temples and Kinot - poems about Jewish tragedies throughout the ages.

On Erev Tisha B'Av we have a Seudah Hamafseket. This is the last meal before the fast. The meal should consist of only one cooked dish. Two foods that are normally cooked together are considered one dish. So for example a dish of egg and lentils would be ok to eat. One can also eat bread with this meal too. My practice, has been to have a normal pre fast meal a few hours before the fast. Then just before the fast I have a piece of toast and I sit on the floor and think of the destruction. 

This year (2016) since erev Tisha B'Av is on Shabbat none of these laws apply and we treat the day like a regular Shabbat just. However, one must be careful to finish Seudah Shelishit before the fast starts. Please note that the fast begins before Shabbat ends. 

Tisha B'Av
Apart from learning Torah that makes us happy there are five things which are prohibited on Tisha B’av. Eating and drinking, washing, rubbing one’s body with oils or lotions, wearing leather shoes, and marital relations. Although not strictly forbidden, it is strongly recommended to take the day off on Tisha B'Av or at least not to work until halachic midday (1:15pm). Since we are all considered mourners on this day, we do not greet each other.

Ladies who have given birth within 30 days are exempt from the fast. Similarly, anyone who has a serious illness or would become ill from fasting is exempt.

The liturgy on Tisha B'Av is very powerful and the tunes are very moving. Although one isn't supposed to enjoy the tunes on Tisha B'Av, my grandfather of blessed memory would love to hum the melodies of Tisha B'Av throughout the year. One of the powerful kinot contrasts the festival of Pesach with Tisha B'Av using the famous "Ma Nishtana - Why is this night different from all other nights?"

On Tisha B'Av night the lights are dimmed low, or tea lights are used. We sit on the floor and read Eicha - The book of lamentations. On Tisha B'Av day we don't wear talet and tefillin in the synagogue and we continue to sit on the floor. (Some Sephardim have the custom to wear them privately at home before coming to services but that is not the SBH minhag). We again read Eicha and more sad kinot. After midday we are allowed to sit on regular seats and at minha we wear talet and tefillin. Since we are forbidden to learn Torah on Tisha B'Av, if one learns daily, that learning should be done either the day before or the day after Tisha B'Av. Tehillim may be recited on Tisha B'Av itself but only after halachic midday (1:15pm).

The mourning practices are in reverse to those of a loved one. Instead of most intense to least intense, we go from least to most. The idea being that we must prepare ourselves for it. If we were to go straight into the strict mourning of Tisha B'Av without the three weeks of preparations we would struggle to find meaning. Instead we build up gradually. As we do that this year let us work on our mitzvah observance and the way we interact with others. May Hashem grant peace in Israel.

When the fast finishes, one should still not eat meat or drink wine until Midday the following day. The reason being that when the Second Temple was destroyed it continued burning for much of the 10th of Av. Other restrictions such as showering and shaving etc. are permitted from the end of the fast. (Ashkenazim wait until midday for those too).

This year (2016) since we commemorate Tisha B'Av on the 10th, one does not need to wait until midday of the next day.

Birkat Cohanim in the Diaspora

One of the things that Ashkenazim notice when they go to Israel is that they do Birkat Cohanim every day in Israel, whereas in the diaspora Ashkenazim only do it at the Musaf of Yom Tov. There are also several Sephardic communities that did not/do not do Birkat Cohanim outside of Israel too. 

When we look at the formulation of the mitzvah of Birkat Cohanim it looks very clearly that it is a mitzva De'oraita - a positive mitzvah from the Torah for the Cohanim to bless the Jewish People every day. This is how it is codified by the Sefer HaHinuch. So how did the custom of not doing Birkat Cohanim daily start in the Diaspora? 

There are three main reasons brought by Ashenazic Rabbis. The first reason cited by the Agur is that the custom was to immerse in a mikveh before doing Birkat Cohanim. This was very hard to do in the Winter in Eastern Europe so they stopped doing it every day. 

Rav Yosef Caro comments on this custom and explains that this is completely illogical. Blessing the people is a Torah commandment and going to the mikveh in order to bless the people is a custom not even mentioned in the Talmud. He writes it would make far more sense just to bless the people without going to the mikveh!

The second and third reasons are brought by the Rema - Rabbi Moshe Isserles. He wrote that "It has become the practice in all these states that the Cohanim do not raise their hands in blessing except on Yom Tov, as then they are in a state of happiness because of Yom Tov and a person who is in good spirits should administer the blessing. They are not in a state of happiness on other days even on Shabbatot as they are preoccupied with thoughts concerning their sustenance and over the cessation of their work. Even on Yom Tov they only do it at Musaf as then they are about to leave synagogue and rejoice in the celebration of Yom Tov."

So basically the Ashkenazim in the 1500s were in a depressed state because of the difficulties in their lives. As in those times they were exceedingly poor and their was always a threat of Antisemitism in the air. The only time they were really happy was on Yom Tov and since Birkat Cohanim needs to be done with joy Ashkenazim stopped doing it daily.

In the 1700s the Vilna Gaon and Rav Chaim Volozhin made a decision that they wanted to try and restart daily Birkat Cohanim. The day before it happened the Vilna Gaon was imprisoned and half the town of Volozhin burned down! The two Rabbis decided it must be that a Bat Kol - heavenly voice has decreed that Birkat Cohanim cannot happen outside of Israel. When the Vilna Gaon's students made aliyah to Israel they did set up daily Birkat Cohanim hence the practice found today in Ashkenazic synagogues in Israel.

Now the Sephardic communities too are not uniform on Birkat Cohanim. Despite the fact that Rav Caro writes that it should be done daily not all Sephardic communities follow that. Rav Shem Tob Gaguine notes in his books on customs - Keter Shem Tob that "in London Birkat Cohanim is said only on Yom Tov, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The Amsterdam custom is that the Cohanim do it every Shabbat and this is the custom in Moroccan cities too. But in Israel, Syria, Turkey and Egypt the Cohanim do it every day."

Yet a teacher of mine, Rabbi Mordechai Lebhar, notes some different Sephardic customs. "The Moroccan minhag is to say Birkat Kohanim every day, in contrast to the custom in some other communities. However, several Sefaradi communities traditionally did not have the practice of saying Birkat Kohanim every day, among them the Jews of Izmir in Turkey, who said Birkat Kohanim only on days where the Torah is read, the communities of Italy and Amsterdam, who did so only on Shabbat and the Jews of Algeria, who said this blessing only during Musaf on Shabbat."

So we don't find a unified position for Sephardic communities. We have Rav Gaguine saying in Turkey they said it every day, Rabbi Lebhar noting the custom in Izmir was when the Torah was read and here in Seattle, the tradition was that in Tekirdag,Turkey they didn't do Birkat Cohanim except on Yom Tov. So why are there different Sephardic customs on this?

One answer is that Ashkenazic Pesak had an influence on some Sephardic communities. Another answer brought by the Keter Shem Tob is that they didn't always have a minyan during the week so they couldn't do Birkat Cohanim. Another answer he gives is that his community was very secular and assimilated. They wouldn't always have Cohanim present on a regular Shabbat and even if they were present they wouldn't necessarily have the ability to know how to bless the congregation!

Rav Gaguine then goes into a fascinating history of the failed Mashiach - Shabbatai Tzvi. One of the things he brought into focus was an emphasis on doing Birkat Cohanim daily. It may have been that some communities were already doing Birkat Cohanim daily but after he converted to Islam, the leading Sephardic Rabbis of the day tried to back away from anything that looked like Shabbatean practice. They went from daily Birkat Cohanim to just on Yom Tov. In Amsterdam they compromised and did Birkat Cohanim on Shabbatot only. 

In Seattle, my synagogue did not do Birkat Cohanim until 25 years ago. Some say because we didn't have Cohanim in the congregation who came daily or even on Shabbat. Some say because in Turkey they didn't do it because of Shabbatai Tzvi as it was in Turkey where he converted to Islam, so there the communities would most want to distance themselves from his teachings. Either way we now have several Cohanim who bless us daily and on Shabbat and it is a wonderful thing to be blessed by Hashem through the Priestly Blessing.

This write up is based on a short presentation I gave this past Shabbat Parashat Naso. Here is a link to the source Sheet. Here is the link (in Hebrew) to Rav Gaguine's piece to read. (see pages 245-247).


Here is a postscript from Rabbi Yossi Azose (Hazzan Ike Azose's son) 

It’s worth noting, as it relates to the Seattle Sephardic community, that in Shu”t Tzitz Eliezer (7:6) Rabbi Avraham Shalem submitted a query on the subject to his teacher R’ Eliezer Waldenberg in 1960, shortly after he was hired as rabbi at Cong. Ezra Bessaroth in Seattle. (As an historical aside, In the beginning of his teshuva Rabbi Waldenberg writes:

“I was especially pleased to learn that, with G-d’s blessing, he (Rabbi Shalem) has found a new position that he was yearning for, a wholesome and fervent congregation (Ezra Bessaroth) that thirsts for the word of G-d….”)

When Rabbi Shalem came, he found that Ezra Bessaroth did not do birkat cohanim daily, despite the presence of cohanim, and he very much wanted to reinstitute the practice. And so he sent a letter to R’ Waldenberg for his opinion. Rabbi Shalem asked his predecessor, Rabbi Isadore Kahan, why he did not encourage the practice of birkat cohanim, and he responded that in any event, since the cohanim at his kehilla were not Shabbat observant, it wasn’t proper for them to do nesiyat kapayim. 

(Rabbi Shalem disagreed with Rabbi Kahan on this point. It should also be noted, that for a brief time, Rabbi Kahan held the position as rabbi of both Ezra Bessaroth and Bikur Holim). Rabbi Waldenberg explored all these issues in the above-cited teshuva, including the tidbit about Shabetai Zevi, and concluded that indeed, birkat cohanim on a daily basis should be encouraged.

What really needs to be Kosher for Pesah (At least for Sephardim)

It's that time of the year again when I get the following questions. Does butter really need to be kosher for Passover? Do my dogs really need to have non-hametz dog food? Is it true that I need to boil my candle sticks for Pesah use?

Many people suffer from Pesah neuroses. I do too for example the word is Pesah not Paysach. There is a segol under the letter פ so it can only be Pesah. But I understand that some things will not be able to be changed. And that's just one word that I can't stand.

But I'm not referring to that or even to the pathological fear of kitniyot. I'm talking about the need for absolutely everything in the house to be boiled or blow torched and every item must have a KLP - kosher for Pesah symbol on it.

Well the truth is that when it comes to kashering of things for Pesah not everything needs boiling water and certainly no blow torching is required. Candle sticks which are placed on the Shabbat table do not need to be immersed in boiling water. Even kiddush cups only need to be cleaned and polished since they were only drunk when cold and only wine or grape juice went into it. You don't need a new kettle for Pesah it only boils water but you do need to clean the outside of it. 

The stove top is kashered by pouring boiling water over it as are the sinks and the bench tops. For the burners themselves clean thoroughly and turn on highest setting for 15 minutes. For the oven if it's self cleaning just run the cycle and you are good to go. If it isn't clean it with an oven cleaner and then leave it for 24 hours then put it on it's highest setting for 1 hour. For dishwashers run it through unused with soap and it is fine to use for Pesah. For tables just cover with freshly laundered tablecloths. Replace table covers if they have food stains on them.

Now for food products remember Pesah is only 8 days. All you really need is matza, wine/grape juice, meat, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. There are many things that are available on the Seattle Vaad list. It is very comprehensive and has many things for Sephardim to buy. For any specific question on food products just let me know.

On medicines, any tablet pill that has no taste is permitted on Pesah e.g. blood pressure medication. Any medication that is a liquid or has a sweet coating should be sold for Pesah. If there is a real need please call me directly.

Just one small note on pet food. All kashrut agencies recommend the purchase of pet food which is hametz free. Not because the animals need it but because we cannot own hametz even hametz which only a dog would eat. 

Wishing you all a wonderful Pesah and hopefully not too stressful a time in the lead up.