Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

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בלה תובשחמ
luchos, etc… When we sing “Who knows one?” it is an exit exam to see if we were
successful in placing G-d and Torah at the forefront of our consciousness.
In a similar vein we have the simanim at the start of Rosh Hashana. The foods we
eat are not just a visual aid to help us in our prayer and focus us. The simanim
are there to help me see and show others what is on my mind. As we approach
the Days of Awe we should be totally consumed by the significance of the time.
Everything we do should remind us that we are in a special time period. When
a couple is seriously dating, everything they see naturally reminds them of one
another no matter how far-fetched the association may seem to a person standing
on the outside. A boy and girl who are seriously in love may look at a water
bottle in the fridge and associate that bottle with a date they once had when they
were caught in the rain. So too with us on Rosh Hashana and the Aseres Yemei
Teshuva; everything we do, everything we eat, we should naturally associate with
the Days of Awe. When I look at a carrot (gezer) how can I help but think of
the upcoming gezar din (judgment)? When I look at honey how can I think of
anything else save for the deep desire I have for a sweet new year?
There are many families that have unconventional simanim as well. Some
families eat raisins and celery as an expression of hopes for a raise in the family
income. Some yeshiva students make sure to have ketchup up on the table as
an expression of their hope to catch up with their chazara (review of material
learned). Those “unconventional simanim” are absolutely consistent with the idea
mentioned above. The foods are less important than the mindset. If we are in
the right frame of mind, almost everything on the table should in one way or
another remind us of the awesomeness of this particular time of year. We should
encourage everyone at the meal to come up with simanim for everything at the
table. The simanim can help us orient ourselves properly, put us in the correct
state of mind, and demonstrate to G-d that we grasp the full magnitude of the
days that lay ahead.