Report on Hayya Ga’on’s Rosh Hashanah Practice

Thus it is written in a letter of R. Matsliaḥ ben Elijah from Sicily:

He visited our R. Hay[ya] during the days of Rosh Hashanah. He found him coming home from synagogue, his students following after him. They brought before him gourds, Egyptian beans, leeks, dates, beets, and a variety of fruits in a basket along with honey and beans.

He placed his hands on the gourd and said, “Squash [kara’]—rend [kera‘] the evil decree of our judgment. Beans [rubya]—may our merits multiply [yitrabu]. Leek [karte]—may those who hate us be cut down [yikaretu]. Beets [silke]—may our sins disappear [yistalku]. Dates [tamre]—may our sins come to an end [yitamu]!” Afterward, he took the honey and beans and said: “A land flowing [with milk and honey] (Exodus 3:8).” And he repeated this again. Then every one of his students took from the basket some of those items [and brought them home] to their own houses and did the same. As we learned at the end of [tractate] Horayot, chapter three [12a], and at the beginning of Keritot: Now that you have said that a sign is an [important] thing, at the start of the year, one should be accustomed to eat squash, beans, leeks, beets, and dates [b. Keritot 6a]. This order is called “karkeset” [an acronym using the Hebrew names of the produce listed above].