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Rosh Hashanah Seder -- traditions and additions
Download pdf of a full Rosh Hashanah seder with additions related to climate change, refugees, enmity, pandemic, democracy, liberation, and Shmitah year. Here are the elements of the seder, including the additions. Each "siman" or sign introduces a hope we have for the year, and is based either on a physical feature (the sweetness of honey or the many seeds in a pomegranate), or on a pun (for example, "remove/leave" is the root S-L-K, and beets are "Salka" or "Selek"). The pdf includes all the following in liturgical order.
It is great to make up your own puns, in English or Hebrew or any language, using whatever fruits and vegetables or other ingredients you have on hand.
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for democracy and liberation and ceasefire/end to war:
צְנוֹן
Radish (English to Hebrew pun)
May it be Your will, our God and God of our ancestors
to uproot tyranny and persecution and war from the world.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְאִמוֹתֵנוּ
לַעֲקוֹר רוֹדָנוּת וּרְדִיפוּת וּמִלְחָמָה מִן הָעוֹלָם
for enmity (and for pandemic) - traditional and new:
סַלְקָא
Beets or Swiss Chard (Salka)
May it be Your will, our God and God of our ancestors
that plague and epidemic be removed yistalku from our bodies,
that enmity and hatred be removed from us, and also from our hearts,
and remove all who seek our harm around us.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְאִמוֹתֵנוּ
שֶׁיִּסְתַּלְּקוּ כָּל נֶגַע וּמַגֵּפָה מִגּוּפֵינוּ
וְאֵיבָה וְשִׂנְאָה מֵעָלֵינוּ וּמִלְּבָבֵינוּ
וְכָל מְבַקְשֵׁי רָעָתֵנוּ מִסְּבִיבֵנוּ
The next blessing can works in any year, but fits the year of Shmitah. In the sabbatical year, our ancestors would let the land rest from their plows, receiving and eating whatever grew and ripened by itself from the land. And fig trees were especially prized in Shmita, because new figs would become ripe each month, always providing food.
And some say that the fig was the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and that Shmitah is our time to receive the knowledge from Eden in the right way and the right time, when all is ripened for understanding. Therefore...
תְּאֵנִיםִ
Figs (T'einim)
May it be Your will
YHVH our God and God of our ancestors,
as the Earth lifts her face toward us and all her creatures
to nourish all equally,
and as she ripens new fruit month by month, free to all
that we may receive in gratitude what is offered
during this year of Shmita,
so that we may also turn our faces,
ripe with justice and love
toward this world and all creatures.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְאִמוֹתֵנוּ
שֶׁכְּשֵׁם שֶׁתִּשָׂא הָאָרֶץ פָּנֶיהָ אֵלֵינוּ וְאֶל כָּל בְּרִיוֹתֶיהָ
לְהוֹצִיא מָזוֹן לָכֹּל בְּשִׁווֹן
וְתַּבְשִׁיל פֵרוֹת חֲדָשִׁים
חוֹדֶשׁ אַחַר חוֹדֶשׁ הֶפְקֵר לְכּוּלָם
כֵּן נְקַבֵּל בְּהוֹדָאָה כֹּל מָה שֶׁנָדְבָה בִּשְׁנת הַשְׁמִיטָה הַזֹאת
ּלְכֵן נִפְנֶה בְּשֵׁלִים בְּצֶדֶק וּבְאַהֲבָה אֶל הָאָרֶץ וְאֶל כָּל הַבְּרִיוֹת
Y’hi ratson milfanekha YHVH Eloheinu v’Elohei avoteinu v’imoteinu,
shek’shem shetisa ha’arets paneha eleinu v’el kol b’riyoteha l’hotsi mazon lakol b’shivyon,
v’tavshil peirot chadashot chodesh achar chodesh hefker l’kulam,
ken n’kabeil b’hoda’ah kol mah shenadvah bishnat hashmitah hazot
ul’khen nifneh b’sheilim b’tsedek uv’ahavah el ha’arets v’el kol hab’riyot
for the climate crisis (also appropriate for Shmitah):
תֶּרֶד
Spinach (Tered)
May it be Your will, YHVH our God and God of our ancestors,
that we awaken from our deep slumber (tardeimah),
to listen to the Earth,
and the species in danger of extinction,
and may this give us strength to take action and to fix our future!
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְאִמוֹתֵנוּ
שֶׁנִּתְעוֹרֵר מִן הַתָּרְדֵמָה שֶׁלָנוּ
לְהַַקְשִׁיב אֶל הָאָרֶץ
וּלְכָל הַבְּרִיוֹת בְּסַכָּנָת הַכְחָדָה
לְגָרוֹת בָּנוּ כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹת
וּלְתַקֵן גוֹרָלֵינוּ
Y’hi ratson mil’fanekha shenit’orer min hatardeimah shelanu l’hakshiv el ha’anakah v’hash’varim v’hatza’ar ha’olim min ha’arets,
umikol minei hab’riyot b’sakanat hakh’chadah,
v'el kol hap’litim,
v’gam l’hargish k’eiv l'vaveinu mip’rishuteinu min ha’adamah
l'garot banu koach hama'aseh, ul'takein goraleinu.
for refugees:
שְׁזִיב
Plum (Sh’zif)
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְאִמוֹתֵנוּ
לַתֵת לָנוּ כֹּחֵ לְהָכִין שֵׁיזָבָא בַּעָד פְּלִיטֵי אַקְלִים וְרָעָב וּמִלְחָמָה
May it be Your will, our God and God of our ancestors,
to give us strength to prepare safe harbor (sheizava)
for climate refugees and refugees from famine and war
Traditional:
תַּפּוּחַ וּדְבַשׁ
Apple and Honey (Tapuach ud'vash)
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְאִמוֹתֵנוּ
שֶׁתִּתְחַדֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ שָׁנָה טוֹבָה וּמְתוּקָה׃
(כי היא הנקרא שבת ביסוד) מֵרֵאשֻׁית הַשָּׁנָה וְעַד אַחֲרִית הַשָּׁנָה׃
May it be your will, our God and God of our ancestors,
to renew for us a year sweet as honey,
from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
קְרָא
Squash such as Pumpkin, Zucchini (Kara or K'ra)
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְאִמוֹתֵנוּ
שֶׁתִּקְרַע רוֹעַ גְּזַר דִּינֵנוּ וְיִקָּרְאוּ לְפָנֶיךָ זָכִיּוֹתֵינוּ׃
May it be your will, our God and God of our ancestors,
to tear up (tikra`) the evil decrees against us and proclaim (yikr'u) our merits.
רוּבִיָא
Beans, Black-eyed peas (Rubiya)
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְאִמוֹתֵנוּ
שֶׁיִרְבּוּ זָכִיּוֹתֵינוּ וּתְלַבְּבֵנוּ׃
May it be your will,
our God and God of our ancestors,
that our righteousness will multiply (yirbu) and that you will love us.
רִמוֹן
Pomegranate (Rimon)
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְאִמוֹתֵנוּ
שֶׁנִּהְיֶה מְלֵאִים מִצְוֺת כְּרִמּוֹן
May it be your will,
our God and God of our ancestors,
that we be full of mitsvot (commandments/righteous deeds) like a pomegranate.
The rest of Neohasid’s High Holiday content can be accessed here.
More Shmitah resources can be found here.
Shanah m’tukah um’takenet,
Rabbi David Seidenberg
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