Q. I know you can't eat nuts on Rosh Hashana, but can you eat seeds - like sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds?
A. There are a number of reasons mentioned for not eating nuts on Rosh Hashono; a) Egoz, usually understood as walnuts, carries the same gematria as “chet “ or sin, without the non-essential alef (Remo O.H. 583:2). This would restrict the proscription to walnuts.
b) Nuts cause disturbing phlegm, coughing and expectoration, something you want to avoid during Rosh Hashono communal prayers and Shofar blowing (ibid.). This reason may apply to other dry nuts or seeds.
c) Am Yisroel is compared to an Egoz, like the shell covered nut, they can wallow and reel in the mud of Golus and still maintain it's internal uprightness and integrity (Midrash Shir Hashirim 6:11). Since eating the nuts will remind us of Golus, they constitute an unwanted Siman, we therefore avoid them (Chasam Sofer notes ibid.). This reason would apply only to nuts or seeds with a protective shell.
d) Egoz is the Roshei Teivos (first letters) of the verse Af Gam Zois, included in the Tochacha, also a bad Siman during these days (Chasam Sofer ibid.). This would be relevant only to walnuts.
e) The Egoz tree in Sefer Chasidim is the abode to Mazikim (demons and evil spirits) (Daas Torah ibid.), again pertains to walnuts only.
f) Yalkut Haggershuni (O.H. ibid.) says that the egoz is linked to the angel of forgetfulness, something to avoid in the Yom Hazikaron, day of remembrance as Rosh Hashono is also known.
Mate Ephraim (583: 3) and Nitei Gavriel (Rosh Hashana 28:14) include in this tradition legumes (kitnios) and beans (pulin), Shulchan Oruch Horav (ibid. 10) includes almonds, Piskey Teshuvos (ibid. note 37 discusses pistachio nuts, sunflower and other seeds and whether this applies to cooked nuts and legumes.
Horav Shlomo Miller's Shlit"a opinion is that if you have an established family tradition you should observe it, otherwise since this is only a minhag, it suffices to restrict oneself from eating nuts.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit"a.
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