Avoiding Nuts on Rosh Hashanah
Egoz = gematria of chet (sin); Rema-cited custom to avoid nuts on Rosh Hashanah.
On the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, some people avoid eating nuts. The reason is a piece of wordplay: in gematria (the practice of reading Hebrew words as numbers), the Hebrew word for nut, egoz, has the same numerical value as the word for sin, chet — and the day is about turning away from sin. This custom is cited by the Rema, a leading authority on Ashkenazi practice.
Key passages(3)
Each passage is tagged by what it does with the idea: explains it, applies it in practice, redefines it with a new meaning, or challenges it. Relevance shows how directly the passage is about this idea.
Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim · Joseph Karo · c. 1563 CE
A custom to avoid eating nuts on Rosh Hashanah based on the gematria that the word "egoz" (nut) equals the numerical value of "chet" (sin), reflecting a desire to avoid transgression in the new year.
Tap to expand
Pele Yoetz · Eliezer Papo · c. 1815 CE
A custom to avoid eating nuts on Rosh Hashanah based on the gematria that the word "egoz" (nut) equals the numerical value of "chet" (sin), reflecting a desire to avoid transgression in the new year.
Tap to expand
Mishnah Berurah · Israel Meir Kagan (Chafetz Chaim) · c. 1875 CE
A custom to avoid eating nuts on Rosh Hashanah based on the gematria that the word "egoz" (nut) equals the numerical value of "chet" (sin), reflecting a desire to avoid transgression in the new year.
Tap to expand