tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post2702587798319870867..comments2023-09-11T17:58:13.764-04:00Comments on The Rebbetzin's Husband: Apples and Honey and Superstition (nichush) for Rosh HaShanahThe Rebbetzin's Husbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-10811677812784228862008-09-22T22:04:00.000-04:002008-09-22T22:04:00.000-04:00risa, profk-Yes, the mehren idea works; and cuttin...risa, profk-<BR/>Yes, the mehren idea works; and cutting them as coins would just add to the symbolism.The Rebbetzin's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-49351482311019922322008-09-21T20:03:00.000-04:002008-09-21T20:03:00.000-04:00Just to add to Risa's comment, I asked my mom (wel...Just to add to Risa's comment, I asked my mom (well into her 80s and European born and raised) about the round carrots. Yes, "meir" the yiddish word for carrot and "mer" the yiddish word for more sound alike, but it is not specifically money that the more is referring to--"mir zolen zich meiren" can be taken to mean that we should be/do/have more in the year to come. My mom's explanation for the round slices of carrot is that they said in her town when they ate them "Mir zollen hoben a rundigen yur" we should have a round,whole or complete year. That use is also seen in other Yiddish phrases--"zug mir dem rundigen emes"--tell me the whole truth with no pieces missing.ProfKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17954446826821665314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-65656068482760509752008-09-21T16:42:00.000-04:002008-09-21T16:42:00.000-04:00Very informative post! I can add something I picke...Very informative post! I can add something I picked up some years ago:<BR/><BR/>The "coins" shape for the carrots come from the Yiddish for carrots which is something like 'mayeren' and sounds very close to the Yiddish word for 'more'. Therefore we want 'more' of the coins. <BR/><BR/><I> Just my deflated 2 cents worth.</I>Risa Tzoharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05012097234847651866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-88460130860427545462008-09-12T11:31:00.000-04:002008-09-12T11:31:00.000-04:00Hi Leora,Yes, the hocus-pocus element is a concern...Hi Leora,<BR/><BR/>Yes, the hocus-pocus element is a concern - especially because of Abayye's wording.<BR/><BR/>The coin-shape is something I first saw my grandmother do thirty years ago, and I've seen it off and on since.The Rebbetzin's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-42569277046198492022008-09-10T05:17:00.000-04:002008-09-10T05:17:00.000-04:00Thank you for the interesting background post! I ...Thank you for the interesting background post! I am working on watercolors related to the simanim. So far, I've done carrot. Though I never heard of carrots shaped like coins, so I'll have to research that one.<BR/><BR/>It makes a lot of sense to me, a visual person and a mom who needs to explain stuff to kids, that we eat these foods. But I can understand how the rabbis feared the hocus pocus or lack of davening.Leorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12303493764579879710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-14918028609632772442008-09-09T19:49:00.000-04:002008-09-09T19:49:00.000-04:00JF-Segulot are fascinating, but very hard to defin...JF-<BR/>Segulot are fascinating, but very hard to define as a category; the term tends to be borrowed for quite varied practices.<BR/><BR/>The yehi ratzons do, indeed, make this more of a tefillah - but are inconsistent with the source of these practices.<BR/><BR/>Seder - Don't really think so, but an interesting thought.<BR/><BR/>Steg-<BR/>Yes, that and the old lettuce, half a raisin and celery stalk...The Rebbetzin's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-47205620821889844482008-09-09T19:09:00.000-04:002008-09-09T19:09:00.000-04:00eat squash, so that God will squash your enemies!eat squash, so that God will squash your enemies!Steg (dos iz nit der šteg)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07694556690190505030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-427899953613362972008-09-09T15:11:00.000-04:002008-09-09T15:11:00.000-04:00Thank you for this post. What is the connection (...Thank you for this post. What is the connection (if any) or distinction between simanim and segulot?<BR/><BR/>I always thought of the simanim as similar to toasts, rather than "remedies".<BR/><BR/>Also, reciting the yehi ratzons make it clear that the power doesn't lie in the apple or the fish head.<BR/><BR/>Is any of this analogous with the items on the seder plate?Juggling Frogshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03572259373523756647noreply@blogger.com