Rosh Hashana begins this evening at sun down. I drafted most of this post yesterday but left the final edits for morning.

This time of year for Jews is a special one. At least, for this Jewish Gastronaut. To me, regardless of how early or late in September/October they occur (Jewish holidays follow the lunar calendar), the high holidays signify a transition from summer into fall. I have memories of shopping for outfits to wear to synagogue, seeking the right skirt, fighting with tights and ‘hose (never liked wearing them), determining which shoes to wear and whether it’s cool enough to wear a suit jacket, determining how dressed up I had to get for dinner at my grandmother’s. I still do most of this clothing ritual. As much as I like the idea of “new clothes, new year”, I haven’t bought a new “holiday outfit” for years. It’s occurred to me to determine how much a new outfit would cost and donate that money, but I’m sort of tapped out right now. Instead of new clothes I got “new hair” and “new glasses” and “new contact lenses”. If only I had “new benefits” to go with the new prescription eye wear.

I still go to synagogue, though not with my parents and more because I want to than feeling obligated to. I try to get into the spiritual aspect as much as I can while praying in a large gym with hundreds of others and what seems like nearly every Jew I know.  During Rosh Hashana (literally “head of the year”) I stay offline for two days and chill out as I reflect. The daily routine changes to make the days seem different. I don’t answer my cell phone. I think about people I’ve wronged, forgive those who have wronged me, reflect on how I can be a better person. I essentially repeat this at Yom Kippur (more on that next week).

Just this weekend I was thinking about how personality conflicts don’t necessarily indicate bad people. We as humans have egos, and pride. We’re often lazy. We’re self centered. Acknowledging this is written into the Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services. Often it’s best to accept people for who they are, assessing them on the sum of their parts. I believe in the good of people – which sometimes feels naive and too trusting – and this time of year is the time to be conscious of who we are and who we want to be. Fall is generally a transition time anyhow (back to school, new season etc.).

I know that nothing will change permanently, but the reflection is something. The act of stopping and thinking. There’s something in the customs of asking for forgiveness for the upcoming year and for casting away our sins, represented by bread (a good use for the bread that’s been hiding in the back of the freezer). These customs move me even though much of it seems antiquated.

Ever notice that bread and bread-like products play such prominent role in religious customs? I strongly suspect that at least one person has written an entire book on the subject.

Of course there are food customs.

For Rosh Hashana we eat foods symbolic of a sweet new year, the most basic being apples dipped in honey on which we say a blessing – though some Jews and more observant ones say blessings over everything they eat. Sweet challah and honey cake are customary. On the second day we eat a “new fruit”, a fruit that has recently come into season but that we have not yet had the opportunity to eat. We then say the shehechiyanu blessing. It translates to “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive, and sustained us, and enabled us to reach this moment.” I find that moving.

• More information on Rosh Hashana food customs can be found here, here, and here.

Challah dipped in honey is a tasty tradition. On the advice of a friend I picked up some cinnamon honey on Saturday while at the Brick Works farmer’s market and look forward to drizzling some of it on my challah.

I have memories of family dinners and in past years I’ve found myself with impromptu lunch and dinner invitations to eat with friends’ families. Jews like to feed each other and often make so much food that they need people to come over and help them eat it. This could partly explain why I don’t like showing up to parties without something edible for sharing. I look forward to dinner tonight with family, dinner tomorrow evening with friends, lunch on Friday with friends and whatever impromptu meals come up between today and Friday evening.

Recipe round up

I generally like to seek out and stumble upon recipes that are accommodating to vegans, vegetarians, celiacs and those with other dietary needs. You could do this work (ie. Googling) but I’ve done it for you. I haven’t tried any of these recipes but encourage you to do so and report back.

• Elana’s Pantry’s “honey cake” is gluten free and uses agave rather than honey. It’s not vegan because it contains eggs, but I bet you could do the flax-water trick to make it both vegan and gluten free. I’m not a fan of agave (what’s available to most of us is similar to high fructose corn syrup) and generally don’t condone it but I’d say that it’s innocuous if used in baking once in awhile. My sister is a fan of Elena’s Pantry and uses her recipe for gluten free baking mix/flour alternative.
• Gluten-free Chocolate Almond Honey Cake
• Gluten-free challah.
• Another gluten-free challah.
• Check out Gluten-Free Bay’s Rosh Hashana Recipe Roundup 2007. It includes mock matzoh balls.
• Vegan Recipes for Rosh Hashanah (includes challah, kugel, tzimmes and more).
• Raw mock “gefilte fish”.
• Neither vegan nor gluten free, this honey cake recipe was recommended to me by the same person who recommended the cinnamon honey. She’s made it numerous times. I like the idea of using coffee and whiskey. I’m thinking about baking in muffin tins for the office.
• Meghan’s Rosh Hashana Recipe Round Up, posted on Monday. You know it’ll be healthy and tasty! P.S. Go see Meghan at the Vegetarian Food Fair at Harbourfront this weekend. She’ll have a booth and is doing a demo on Saturday at noon.

On that note, to those of you celebrating Rosh Hashana, Happy New year! Make it a healthy, sweet one.

More holiday posts to come.

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• Mixed Review: Manischewitz’s Honey Cake (seriouseats.com)
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• Workers Clean Notes from Western Wall (israelnationalnews.com)
• Susan Weissman: Will Honey Sweeten My Jewish New Year With Food Allergies? (3 Alternatives to Traditional Honey Cake) (huffingtonpost.com)