In a warm Belzer home filled with the scent of baking challah and sweet simmered dishes, Fruma prepares for the Jewish New Year alongside her two daughters, sharing the cherished Belzer customs, flavors, and timeless lessons of Rosh HaShanah.
The kitchen in Fruma’s home was alive with the joyful rush of Erev Rosh HaShanah. On the counter sat rows of freshly baked round challahs, shiny with egg wash, cooling beside dishes sweet carrot tzimmes, leeks, and a silver bowl holding a pomegranate.
Shaindy, the older daughter, was carefully polishing and arranging the silver candlesticks on the dining table, while younger sister Chasya stood near the counter, inspecting the holiday ingredients with curiosity.
"Mame, I noticed you didn't put any vinegar, pickles, or sour foods on the menu for Rosh HaShanah," Chasya observed, peeking into the fridge. "And there are no walnuts in the cake, and no peas or beans in the soup either!"
Fruma smiled warmly as she stirred a pot of sweet carrot tzimmes. "Good eye, Chasya! In our Belzer shtayger, we stay completely away from sour foods like pickles, and we don't eat nuts until after Simchas Torah, because the Hebrew word for nut, egoz, has the same numerical value as chet, meaning sin, and we don't want anything causing phlegm when we daven. We also leave peas and beans off the Rosh HaShanah menu."
"And what about the sweet apple and honey?" Shaindy asked, walking over with a fresh white tablecloth. "In Belz, we have a very special way of serving it, right?"
"Yes, Shaindy," Fruma nodded. "We do not dip the apple directly into the honey. Because we want to be completely clear on which brachah to make without any doubt over whether the apple or the honey is the main part of a mixture, we eat them separately, taking a bite of the apple and eating the honey on its own. And for our simanim, like the leeks and carrots, we serve them right alongside our main course during the festive meal."
Chasya’s eyes lit up. "And we also get to eat a brand-new fruit on the second night, right? So Mommy can say Shehecheyanu when lighting the candles!"
"Yes, we have a fresh fruit waiting just for tomorrow night," her mother confirmed. "You know, girls, as busy as we get preparing our Yontif meals, the Belzer Rebbe and our holy Rebbes, going all the way back to the Sar Shalom, taught us that Rosh HaShanah is a day of awe, crownings, and deep davening. While Tate and your brothers are in Shul davening with our special Belzer nusach, we make sure not to waste a moment, keeping busy with Tehillim.
Shaindy paused thoughtfully. "It’s always so solemn and quiet in Shul right before the Ba'al Tokeah blows the Shofar. You can almost hear a pin drop."
"That silence is powerful," Fruma said softly, resting a hand on each of her daughters' shoulders. "The holy Rebbes of Belz taught that the cry of the Shofar is like the pure, wordless cry of a child calling out to their Father. It rises straight up to the Aibishter beyond words and beyond limits, awakening our souls to crown Him as King of the universe."
"And after Minchah on the first day, we walk down to the water with tate for Tashlich," Chasya chimed in, swinging her arms. "To shake out our pockets and cast away our mistakes!"
"And remember, when we wish people a good new year on the first night of Rosh HaShanah, we say 'L'shanah tovah tikaseiv v'seichaseim', may you be inscribed and sealed for a good year, "Fruma added, glancing at the clock on the wall. "Speaking of which, look at the time, the sun is getting low, and it’s almost time for all three of us to light the Yontif candles and welcome the new year."
Shaindy placed the candlesticks gently in the center of the table, while Chasya smoothed her beautiful dress. Together, the three of them stood ready to bring the light, sweetness, and Belzer spirit of Rosh HaShanah into their home.
Belzer Details in the Story:
Apple & Honey Custom: Unlike Chabad (and many other communities) where the apple is dipped into the honey, the specific Belz customs is not to dip the apple in the honey to avoid any halachic doubt regarding which blessing (Ha'etz vs.Shehakol) applies to a mixture. Foods & Simanim: In Belz, symbolic foods (simanim) like carrots and leeks are served with the main meal. Avoiding sour foods and nuts until Simchas Torah, Belzer custom also avoids peas and beans on Rosh HaShanah.