No products in the cart.
Rosh Hashanah begins the evening of September 11, 2026. Order by Thursday, September 4 and your dates arrive in time for the simanim plate — hand-harvested Medjool, shipped farm-direct from California’s Coachella Valley.
Why Dates Belong on the Rosh Hashanah Table
On the first nights of Rosh Hashanah, many families eat a series of symbolic foods — the simanim — each carrying a wish for the year ahead. The date is one of the oldest of them. In Hebrew, the date is tamar (תָּמָר), which echoes the word yitamu — “may they be ended.” Over a sweet date, we ask that everything standing against us in the new year simply fall away.
Dates are one of the Seven Species of the Land of Israel — and the “honey” of the land flowing with milk and honey is widely understood to be date honey. Sweetness for the new year, straight from the source.
The Blessing Over Dates (Yehi Ratzon)
After the blessing over the fruit, many families add the short yehi ratzon for dates:
Yehi ratzon milfanecha, Adonai Eloheinu v’Elohei avoteinu, she’yitamu oyveinu v’son’einu v’chol m’vakshei ra’ateinu.
“May it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our ancestors, that our enemies, our foes, and all who seek our harm be brought to an end.”
Many families frame the moment in the positive as well — a year in which hardships end and merits rise like the tall, upright date palm. Either way, the date is eaten sweet: a soft Medjool, sometimes drizzled with honey, passed around the table as the new year begins.
Three Ways to Serve Dates This Rosh Hashanah
On the Simanim Plate
Whole soft Medjools, pitted or not, arranged beside the apples and honey, pomegranate, and the other symbolic foods. One per guest is traditional — our 2 lb box covers a large table with plenty left for the week of meals.
Honey-Walnut Stuffed Dates
Slit each Medjool, tuck in a walnut half, drizzle with honey and a pinch of cinnamon. Ten minutes of work, and they disappear faster than the honey cake. A beautiful use of both symbols of sweetness on one plate.
Silan for the Apple Dipping
Simmer chopped Medjools in water, strain, and reduce into silan — date honey. Some families dip their apples in silan alongside (or instead of) bee honey, drawing the year’s sweetness directly from one of the Seven Species.
Ordering for the Holiday
We ship from our farm in Sky Valley, California via USPS Priority Mail. Western states typically arrive in 2–3 days; East Coast and Midwest, allow 4–6. To be safe for a September 11 evening table, order by Thursday, September 4. Every box is whole, hand-harvested fruit — a one-word ingredient list, no added sugar, no coatings. Our dates are whole, unprocessed fruit; we do not currently carry a kosher certification mark, so please check with your rabbi if certification matters for your observance.
Ordering for a shul, school, or community dinner? We ship multi-pound bulk boxes — contact us for quantities above 10 pounds.
Sweeten the New Year
Soft, caramel-sweet California Medjool dates, picked by hand on our family farm and shipped direct to your door in time for the holiday. Shanah tovah u’metukah — a good and sweet year.