Pomegranate on Rosh Hashanah: Printable Guide, PDF and Explanation

Reviewed holiday and scroll guide

Printable guide Pomegranate on Rosh Hashanah: Printable Guide, PDF and Explanation

The pomegranate is one of the most beloved symbols on the Rosh Hashanah table: a beautiful, festive fruit filled with seeds, inviting us to begin the year with a simple and meaningful reque…

Rosh HashanahQuizFamily reading

The Text — Pomegranate on Rosh Hashanah — Yehi Ratzon

ונוהגין לאכול תפוח מתוק בדבש ואחר שיאכל יאמר זה:

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁתְּחַדֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ שָׁנָה טוֹבָה וּמְתוּקָה:

נוהגין לאכול גם ראש איל או כבש זכר לאילו של יצחק או ראש של דג ויאמר זה:

באכילת ראש כבש או דג אומר:

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלִּפְנֵי אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, שֶׁנִּהְיֶה לְרֹאשׁ וְלֹא לְזָנָב.

באכילת התמרים אומר:

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלִּפְנֵי אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם שֶׁיִּתַּמּוּ שׂוֹנְאֵינוּ וְאוֹיְבֵינוּ.

באכילת הרימון אומר:

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁתַּרְבֶּה זְכֻיּוֹתֵינוּ כְּרִמּוֹן:

באכילת הרוביא אומר:

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלִּפְנֵי אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, שֶׁיִּרְבּוּ זְכֻיּוֹתֵנוּ.

באכילת הכרתי אומר:

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלִּפְנֵי אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, שֶׁיִּכָּרְתוּ שׂוֹנְאֵינוּ.

באכילת הקרא אומר:

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלִּפְנֵי אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, שֶׁתִּקְרַע רוֹעַ גְּזַר דִּינֵנוּ, וְיִקָּרְאוּ לְפָנֶיךָ זְכֻיּוֹתֵנוּ.

באכילת הסילקא אומר:

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלִּפְנֵי אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, שֶׁיִּסְתַּלְּקוּ אוֹיְבֵינוּ וּמַשְׂטִינֵנוּ.

באכילת הדגים אומר:

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלִּפְנֵי אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, שֶׁנִּפְרֶה וְנִרְבֶּה כַּדָּגִים.

וכן נוהגין לאכול מיני מתיקה. יש נוהגין שלא לאכול בראש השנה שום דבר חמוץ ואפילו לימענע (ציטרין). ונוהגין ללמוד ד' פרקים ממסכת ראש השנה קודם ברכת המזון:

איתא בסדור הריעב"ץ שנכון ללמוד על שולחנו המאמר הזה מספר הזוהר:

וּבַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי. כְּמָא דְּאִתְמַר יוֹמָא דְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה יוֹמָא דְּדִינָא דְּכָל עָלְמָא, דִּינָא תַּקִּיפָא וְדִינָא רַפְיָא. וַעֲשִׂיתֶם עוֹלָה וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם מִבָּעֵי לֵהּ, כִּשְׁאָר כָּל יוֹמִין, מַאי וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֶלָּא בְּיוֹמָא דָּא וַעֲשֵׂה לִי מַטְעַמִּים כְּתִיב, כַּמָּה מַטְעַמִּים וְתַבְשִׁילִין עָבְדִי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהַנֵּי יוֹמֵי בְּעוֹד דִּמְקַטְרְגָא אָזֵל לְפַשְׁפְּשָׁא בְּחוֹבִין דְּעָלְמָא, וְעַל דָּא לָא כְתִיב וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם, אֶלָּא וַעֲשִׂיתֶם. עוֹלָה, וְלֹא אִשֶּׁה עוֹלָה. וְכֵן בְּכָל שְׁאָר יוֹמִין לָא כְתִיב אִשֶּׁה, בְּגִין דְּלֵית לֵהּ חֻלְקָא בְּכָל הַנֵּי יוֹמֵי, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן בְּהַאי יוֹמָא דַּאֲנַן עָבְדִין מַטְעַמִּים וְתַבְשִׁילִין בְּלָא דַּעֲתָא דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא, דְּהָא יִצְחָק מְשַׁדֵּר לֵהּ לָצוּד צֵידָה דְּחוֹבִין דִּבְנֵי עָלְמָא וּלְאַיְתָאָה לְגַבֵּהּ, וּבְעוֹד דְּאִיהוּ אָזֵל יִשְׂרָאֵל נָטְלִי עֵיטָא בְּרִבְקָה וְעָבְדִין כָּל אִנּוּן פֻּלְחָנִין וְכָל אִנּוּן צְלוֹתִין, מְזַמְּנִין שׁוֹפָר וְתָקְעִין בֵּהּ בְּגִין לְאַתְעָרָא רַחֲמֵי, וְהָא אוּקִימְנָא וַיָּבֵא לוֹ יַיִן וַיֵּשְׁתְּ, דְּאָתֵי מֵרָחִיק, מִגּוֹ אֲתָר דְּחַמְרָא עַתִּיקָא וְשָׁתֵי וְאַטְעִים לֵהּ וְחָדֵי, וְאַחַר כָּךְ מְבָרֵךְ לֵהּ בְּכַמָּה בִּרְכָאָן וְאַעֲבֵר עַל חוֹבוֹי. מַה כְּתִיב אַךְ יָצֹא יָצָא יַעֲקֹב וְעֵשָׂו אָחִיו בָּא מִצֵּידוֹ, טְעִין מִכַּמָּה טֻעֲנֵי, כְּמָה דְּאִתְמַר וְהָא אוּקִימְנָא מִלָּה, וּבְגִין כָּךְ אִיהוּ יוֹמָא דִיְבָבָא, וְקֻרְבָּנָא אִיהוּ עוֹלָה אַיִל אֶחָד כְּמָה דְּאִתְמַר בְּגִין אֵילוֹ דְּיִצְחָק, וּשְׂעִיר עִזִּים אֶחָד לְחַטָּאת שֹׁחַד לְסַמָּאֵל לְכַפָּרָא אַנְפּוֹי בְּגִין הַהוּא בְּכִיָּה דְּאִיהוּ בָּכֵי בְּהַאי יוֹמָא כֵּיוָן דְּלָא אִתְעֲבִד רְעוּתֵהּ וְהָא לְמַגָּנָא צָד צֵידָה כְּמָה דְּאִתְמַר. בָּרוּךְ ה' לְעוֹלָם אָמֵן וְאָמֵן:

Text source: Machzor Rosh Hashanah Sefard (Sefaria) · Text via Sefaria.org (public domain / CC); fetched 2026-07-04

The pomegranate is one of the most beloved symbols on the Rosh Hashanah table: a beautiful, festive fruit filled with seeds, inviting us to begin the year with a simple and meaningful request: to increase our merits, good deeds and moments of connection. This page includes a short explanation, a practical order of use, a kids version, table questions and an idea for a family Rosh Hashanah quiz.

The page is designed for quick reading before the holiday, printing beside the symbolic foods, classroom use or a short family activity on Rosh Hashanah night.

Quick Printable Summary

What to prepare: An open pomegranate or a bowl of pomegranate seeds, napkins or small spoons, and a short page for the Rosh Hashanah symbols.

When to eat it: Usually during the Rosh Hashanah night meal as part of the holiday symbols. In many communities, the symbols are eaten after Kiddush near the beginning of the meal. Some families save the pomegranate, or another new fruit, for the second night together with Shehecheyanu, according to family custom.

What to say: A common short wording is a request that our merits increase like the seeds of a pomegranate. Customs vary, so the wording should be matched to the family siddur, machzor or community practice.

How to explain it to children: Just as the pomegranate has many seeds, we ask for the new year to be filled with many good deeds.

Why Do We Eat Pomegranate on Rosh Hashanah?

The Rosh Hashanah symbols are not only festive foods. They turn the holiday table into a conversation: about the year that has passed, the year that is beginning, and what we hope to choose and do differently. The pomegranate symbolizes abundance, inner richness and multiplication. From the outside it looks like one fruit; inside, it is filled with many small seeds, each adding color, flavor and meaning.

Halachic sources mention the custom of eating pomegranate on Rosh Hashanah and saying a request connected to the increase of merits. The educational idea is clear and strong: we are not only asking for a more pleasant year, but for a year in which we actively add goodness: another act of kindness, another kind word, another moment of learning, another expression of personal and family responsibility.

It is worth saying gently: the popular claim that every pomegranate has exactly 613 seeds is a beautiful tradition, but not a fixed botanical fact. Different pomegranates contain different numbers of seeds. It is better to explain to children that the pomegranate reminds us of the abundance of mitzvot and merits, rather than presenting the number of seeds as a scientific certainty.

What Do We Do With the Pomegranate?

You can include the pomegranate in the Rosh Hashanah symbols in three simple steps:

Place an open pomegranate or a bowl of seeds on the table.
Before eating, pause and explain the symbol: many seeds, many merits.
Say the request according to your family custom, taste the fruit, and ask one question that connects the symbol to real life.

A good table question: What small good deed would we like to add this year at home, in class or in our family?

Short Wording and Custom Note

A short familiar wording for the pomegranate request is:

May our merits increase like a pomegranate.

Different communities use longer wordings, and some say that we should be filled with mitzvot like a pomegranate. Since prayer and blessing texts vary by community, machzor and family tradition, the site should publish a verified wording according to its content and licensing policy, or present the short wording as an educational aid only.

Kids Version: What Does the Pomegranate Teach Us?

From the outside, the pomegranate looks like one fruit. When we open it, we discover many seeds. That reminds us that a good year is not built only from one big thing. It is built from many small things: helping at home, listening to a friend, choosing kind words, praying with intention, learning something new and choosing good again even when it is not easy.

You can give each child one pomegranate seed and ask them to name one good deed they want to try this year. It should not be a huge promise, just one small action they can truly do.

Short Holiday Table Activity

Activity name: A Seed of Merit

How to play: Each participant chooses one pomegranate seed and completes this sentence:

“This year I want to add a seed of goodness by...”

You can write the answers on a small page and keep it until the end of the holiday or until Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan. Younger children can draw a pomegranate and fill it with seeds, writing or drawing one good deed on each seed.

Rosh Hashanah Quiz: Pomegranate Questions

What does the pomegranate symbolize among the Rosh Hashanah foods?
Why do the many seeds fit the request for many merits?
Does every pomegranate have exactly the same number of seeds?
Which other Rosh Hashanah symbol asks for a sweet year?
How can eating the pomegranate become a family conversation, not only a quick taste?

Call to action: Continue to the Rosh Hashanah quiz and build a round of questions about the holiday symbols: apple and honey, pomegranate, dates, beets, squash and shofar.

Printable and PDF Ideas

The printable page should include:

A short title: “Pomegranate on Rosh Hashanah”
A 3-4 line explanation
A short wording according to the site custom, or a “text review needed” marker
One conversation question for children
A blank space for writing “my seed of goodness for the new year”
A link or QR code to the Rosh Hashanah quiz

On mobile, show “what to do now” first, then the fuller explanation. A user arriving on the eve of the holiday needs a quick answer before a long article.

FAQ

When do we eat pomegranate on Rosh Hashanah?

In most homes, pomegranate is eaten as part of the Rosh Hashanah night symbols, near the beginning of the festive meal after Kiddush. Some families eat it on the first night, while others include it on the second night as a new fruit. Follow your family custom.

What do we say over the pomegranate?

The common request is connected to increasing merits, such as “may our merits increase like a pomegranate.” There are different versions among communities and machzorim, so official publication should verify the exact wording before presenting a full prayer text.

Do we say a fruit blessing before the pomegranate?

If the pomegranate is eaten on its own, the order of blessings should be checked according to the meal context and family custom. In many settings one fruit blessing covers the fruits in the order, but details depend on practice. The site should point readers to a machzor or family rabbi rather than rule on individual cases.

Why is the pomegranate connected to mitzvot?

The pomegranate is filled with seeds, making it a symbol of abundant merits and mitzvot. Rabbinic teachings also connect the pomegranate to the abundance of mitzvot among Israel. At the holiday table, the main message is to begin a year in which we add goodness, not only wish for it.

Does a pomegranate really have 613 seeds?

Not every pomegranate does. The tradition uses the pomegranate as a symbol of the 613 mitzvot and of many merits, but the actual number of seeds varies from fruit to fruit. It should be presented as an educational symbol, not as a scientific fact.

How can we explain the pomegranate to young children?

You can say: “Just as the pomegranate has many seeds, we want our year to be filled with many good deeds.” Then ask each child to choose one small good deed for the new year.

Ready for a Bible quiz? Play Bible Quiz