By Mark D. Zimmerman
MELVILLE, New York — A round challah is one of the primary traditional Rosh Hashanah foods, with a number of explanations. One is that the shape is symbolic of the fact that the year is round, returning to the beginning at Rosh Hashanah. Another explanation is that it represents the crown of God. Other traditional Rosh Hashanah foods include apples dipped in honey, pomegranates, and fish heads. Yet there is also a tradition in some Jewish communities wherein nuts are not eaten on Rosh Hashanah. What is the reason for this prohibition?
A. When nut trees are planted their roots shouldn’t be covered as it is unhealthy for the plant. On Rosh Hashanah we should not cover our sins. So therefore, nuts are seen as symbolic of our uncovered sins, so we do not eat them on Rosh Hashanah.
B. We don’t eat nuts because the gematria (numerology) for the Hebrew word for nut, egoz אגוז is 17, the same value as the Hebrew word for sin, Chait חט (though the word Chait is actually spelled חֵטְא in Hebrew with a value of 18, but the Rabbis want us to stay as far away from sin as we can so the restriction still applies.)
C. The restriction was originally against eating peanuts, as congregants would throw the shells on the synagogue floor just as they did with peanuts in the movie theater or ball park. The restriction eventually grew to include all nuts.
D. In medieval times, nuts were used in gambling games as a prize. In response, nuts have been banned from the Rosh Hashanah table to discourage gambling on the holiday and throughout the year.
E. Nuts are forbidden because eating nuts can cause an increase in phlegm, which might make it harder to pronounce the words of the prayers.