Rosh Hashana - not a time for fancy cooking?

c.c.cookie

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 1:19 am

I was talking to my mil about e/t I was planning to make for RH, and she asked why I'm making such fancy things? I said, what do you mean? It's Yom Tov - you're supposed to make special foods for yom tov. She said RH is different, she doesn't think it's a time to make a lot of fancy dishes. It's a day to daven. Period. And eating less and simpler helps you daven better. Do you agree?

enneamom

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 1:30 am

If I had time to cook I think I'd try to make fancy food. Something to make it seem like a Yom Tov and not just another Shabbos.

On the other hand, if it will make you crazy (and you won't be able to keep up with your "cleaning motivation" Wink

), I'd keep it simple. This is something my DH is always telling me and I'm always ignoring.

But then again, I'm probably eating out R"H. No time to cook even simple stuff.

life'sgreat

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 1:42 am

c.c.cookie wrote:

No, I don't. AFAIK RH is considered a YT in that you should have oneg and simcha and be happy that we did Teshuva.

joy613

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 2:11 am

No I don't agree with her at all. The day that's meant for just davening is Yom Kippur, that's why we don't eat at all then.
If R"H would have been meant to just daven and be serious, we wouldn't be required to eat 2 suedos each day.
A seudas Yomtov should be more special than a shabbos seudah.

I really don't like when people make up their own rules.

shalhevet

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 2:16 am

I thought this as well and I used to make something in the middle - a bit nicer than Shabbos but not as special as 3 regalim, but my dh put me right. (He actually didn't notice from the food, only because I mentioned it LOL

).

We actually learn the inyan of eating special food on YT from RH - in Sefer Ezra he tells the people to go and eat their YT meal on RH (I think it's after they send away their non-Jewish wives, but I don't remember the exact context). So there is definitely an inyan of oneg YT with food.

Of course that means special food, but still keeping the solemnity of Yom Hadin.

BeershevaBubby

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 2:26 am

Hashem loves me wrote:

I'm not sure if that's it, but maybe a perception... don't many shuls have davening until 1, 2 p.m.? If the davening lasts 'that long' then there must be a lot of davening and therefore there is a sense of not as joyous, if that makes sense.

Shopmiami49

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 2:27 am

R"H is a day of being mamlich Hashem l'melech and we are supposed to do special things in His honor. As far as I can recall learning, yes, you are supposed to have nice food on Rosh Hashana. I highly doubt that we are meant to indulge to our hearts content, but R"H is still a yom tov. There is a very serious aspect of Rosh Hashana, which is the davening and all, but nevertheless it a still a yom tov...with an even holier aspect than the other yomim tovim...annointing Hashem as king.

Just as a side point, I learned in regard to cooking for Shabbos that you are supposed to have nice food because the gashmius helps us connect to the ruchniyus. Why wouldn't it apply here as well?

c.c.cookie

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 2:37 am

Shopmiami49 wrote:

You're right! I remember learning that the reason we eat good food on Shabbos is because it's a holy day, so in order to attain the ruchniyus, we have to sort of "appease" the gashmiyus. If that's the case - the holier the day, the more we have to appease the gashmiyus. Otoh - my mil is a very spiritual lady, so she probably doesn't have to appease her gashmiyus as much as us earthly beings.

suomynona

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 3:24 am

I cook much fancier for yom tov than shabbos (although that's not saying much for me), but for r"h I won't go all out. I'll keep it a drop simpler than succos.
There is an inyan not to eat meat on R"h but I don't think people really do that.

sarahd

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 5:38 am

I think the point is that it's assumed that on Rosh Hashana, your head is elsewhere than in the kitchen. Who has the head to fuss around with fancy food when you're being judged for your life? So yes, we serve meat, fish and so on (not hot dogs or salami) but we don't overdo it. Also, we serve traditional foods that have good omens, such as tzimmes and farfel.

chocolate moose

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 11:02 am

Maybe because we're in shul all day and our head is elsewhere? I have onlyheard this from mySatmar coworkers. In Lubavitch, we make yomtov food, whatever we want - but without nuts and sharpness of course.

shalhevet

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 11:15 am

I think maybe some of the different opinions on this thread are to do with what we each consider to be "fancy food". Sometimes what some people post here as a weekday supper is what I'd consider YT food...

Fancy food can mean something more expensive and/or that takes more preparation time (eg 3 hours instead of 20 minutes, but for someone else 20 minutes instead of 5 minutes) and/or needs a lot of work to serve on the day.

Shopmiami49

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 11:56 am

shalhevet wrote:

very true, but what is the relevance to the original question. Ok, so everyone has different ideas of what fancy food is, but are we supposed to be having fancy food (whatever that means to each individual) on R"H or not?

Sherri

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 12:10 pm

First of all, many people don't do the actual cooking on RH, so why shouldn't the food you eat be YomTovdik?

There is actually an inyan in halacha to davka eat nice food and wear nice clothing, and I see that Shalhevet has already quoted the Nave Ezra on this matter. It says in the Navi, Eat rich foods (mashmanim) and drink sweet beverages.... V'al te'atzavu, don't be sad- ki chedvas HShame hi me'uzchem- the enjoyment of Hashem is your strength. (Nechemia 8:10)

clowny

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 12:39 pm

suomynona wrote:

I keep to that inyan and I know plenty of people who also do.

OP- I think your mil didnt express herself correctly. Its not about the fancy food. Its about the inyan of eating only chicken, no meat, beef, turkey etc. And if its only chicken then its automatically not very fancy. But other then that, like the side dishes you make just the same you would make any other yom tov. Double check with your mil what she does for side dishes.

flowerpower

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 11:13 pm

Each to their own! You do what you want to do and its noones business. That being said, r"h I make good food because you're hungry. On succos there is more time to enjoy so I make a drop fancier.

RachelEve14

Thu, Sep 02 2010, 2:10 am

sarahd wrote:

I agree. I think there are people who forget the point of the day. You (general) shouldn't be rushing off from davaning so you can put your fancy soup to simmer just right for the right amount of time, or make a fancy salad fresh for your lunch. We are having close friends for the meals, but I am making simple food that will prepared before YT so I can focus on davaning and being in shul (for the first time in 7 years, I'm excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

life'sgreat

Thu, Sep 02 2010, 2:21 am

RachelEve14 wrote:

sarahd wrote:

I prepared Yom Tov food and can warm it up just like any other food. I didn't make extra fancy, but I did prepare lots of dishes and good food.

sarahd

Thu, Sep 02 2010, 4:22 am

That's fine, and certainly nothing wrong with it. In our house, simply, the focus on R"H is not the food. The food is there to satiate our hunger and it's meat and fish because it's Y"T, but it's roast chicken or brisket rather than stuffed breast of veal, and marinated salmon rather than salmon Wellington with sauce. Compote for dessert, not hot molten chocolate cake with vanilla cream sauce and strawberry coulis.