Rabbi's Chayva's Chat

If you have multiple mezuzot, do they all need kosher scrolls?

Yes, if you can afford kosher scrolls then you should have them in your mezuzot. A mezuzah is a decorative case for the scroll, which contains the Shema and its accompanying paragraphs, Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (the V’ahavta) and Deuteronomy 11:13-21 (“Vehaya im shamoa,” which we’ll read this week and I will be speaking about on Shabbat morning). These verses remind us of our ethics, our sense of Divine singularity and connectedness, and our Jewish tradition. Without the scroll, the case only reminds us of the tradition and mitzvah of having a mezuzah. Also, a reminder: there is a blessing and guidelines for affixing a mezuzah to a doorpost, but you can do it yourself, no rabbi needed!

I know apples and honey are for a sweet new year, but why do we eat pomegranates on Rosh Hashanah?

There are many reasons! First, pomegranates are a symbolic fruit because the rabbis thought that they had 613 seeds, the same number as there are commandments. Pomegranates are also one of the seven species listed in Deuteronomy 8:7-8, which we will read in this week’s Torah portion! There is also a tradition of trying a new fruit or new food in honor of the new year, and perhaps the pomegranate might be new for someone. Finally, my favorite reason is the lesson we learn through the work it takes to eat a pomegranate. One of the most famous and prestigious Talmudic rabbis, Rabbi Meir, continued to study with his teacher, Rabbi Elisha ben Abuya (nicknamed “Acher,” or “The Other”) long after Elisha ben Abuya had been exiled from the yeshiva for losing faith in God. Students questioned why Rabbi Meir continued his relationship, and he said, “Because one must eat the fruit and throw away the peel.” In other words, people are complicated, and we aspire to honor what they can offer and set aside their more difficult features. Eating pomegranates as we do the work of forgiving each other reminds us that we can seek resolution and forgiveness while still understanding that none of us are perfect beings.