Rosh Hashanah Pot Simmer Recipe
There are certain smells that seem to live in our hearts.
The scent of your grandmother’s spice cabinet.
The way the air smells after rain on dry soil.
The unmistakable comfort of warm apples and cinnamon wafting through your home as a holiday meal is being prepared.
For me, the High Holy Days have always carried a fragrance of their own—sweet, deep, and layered with memory. And as a mother, one of my greatest desires is to pass those scents and memories on to my children. I want them to grow up with an aroma-rich tapestry of tradition that wraps around them like a warm blanket.
So I created this Rosh Hashanah Pot Simmer not just as a natural way to make our home smell amazing, but as a meaningful sensory anchor for the season of new beginnings.
My hope? That years from now, when my children smell apples and spice mingling in the air, their hearts will instantly whisper, “It smells like Rosh Hashanah at home.”
What Is Rosh Hashanah?
Rosh Hashanah (literally “Head of the Year” in Hebrew) is the civil New Year—a holy day marked not with confetti and midnight countdowns, but with awe, sweetness, and a desire to return to God.
Rosh Hashanah is the civil new year, meaning that it counts years. Rosh Chodashim is the Biblical New Year in March, which sets the following year’s schedule for the appointed times (feasts and holidays).
Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holy Days in the Hebrew calendar and is celebrated on the first day of the seventh biblical month, Tishrei, which typically falls in September or early October on the Gregorian calendar. To learn when Rosh Hashanah is this year as well as all 2025 holidays, grab my free download real quick here.
Traditionally, Rosh Hashanah is a time of introspection, repentance, and preparing for the ten days leading up to Yom Kippur which are referred to as, “The Days of Awe”. But it’s also a time of joy, family meals, and symbolic foods that point to the sweetness and abundance we hope to walk in during the year ahead.
The Role of Scent in Memory
Science tells us that our sense of smell is directly linked to the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for memory and emotion. That’s why a single whiff of something—like cinnamon, pine, or vanilla—can instantly bring back a memory so vivid it feels like you’re reliving it.
Unlike sight or sound, scent goes straight to the emotional center of the brain, bypassing rational filters. It's not just that something “smells nice”—it's that the smell transports you.
This is exactly why I’ve begun using aromatherapy simmer pots as part of our biblical celebrations and home rhythms.
Scent has the power to:
Create emotional memories for your children
Set the atmosphere of your home
Mark sacred time in a sensory, embodied way
Just as Havdalah ends Shabbat with the scent of b’samim (spices) to lift our spirits, we can begin a new year by filling our homes with the aroma of sweetness and beauty.
Related Blogs:
• Havdalah Aromatherapy Pot Simmer Recipe
• How to Make Homemade Applesauce for Rosh HaShanah
Rosh Hashanah Simmer Pot Recipe
Everything in this pot is intentional:
Apples – The most iconic fruit of Rosh Hashanah, symbolizing our desire for a sweet year ahead.
Oranges – Representing joy, abundance, and sunshine as we step into a new season.
Cinnamon sticks – For warmth, comfort, and the grounding of tradition.
Cloves – Rich, deep, and earthy—reminding us to stay rooted in faith.
The natural fruit sugars and spices create a gentle sweetness that lingers beautifully in the air.
Ingredients:
I do not put a measured amount on these pot simmers. I basically throw in and adjust it by the scent. You want more apples than oranges, and the cinnamon sticks and cloves are obviously spices so adjust as needed.
Apples
Oranges
Cinnamon Sticks
Cloves
Water
Instructions:
Add all the ingredients to a small pot.
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Let it simmer uncovered, adding water as needed throughout the day.
That’s it! As it bubbles away, the steam rises like a fragrant offering—filling your home with warmth, nostalgia, and delicious intention.
Creating a Sensory Tradition for Your Family
The beauty of biblical living is how embodied it is. God gave us a calendar not only of dates but of experiences - sounds, sights, smells, and tastes. We taste sweet apples dipped in honey. We listen for the shout of the shofar. We see the flickering of candlelight.
But scent… scent is where the magic hides.
If you want to cultivate a home where your children grow up loving the biblical holidays - not out of obligation, but from the joyful associations formed in their bodies - then scent is your secret weapon.
Just as the smell of fresh-baked challah makes my kids come running into the kitchen on Friday afternoons, this simmer pot is slowly becoming a tradition of its own. They know that when the house smells like apples and spice, Rosh Hashanah is near.
Want to Know When All the Biblical Holidays Fall in 2025?
If you’re just beginning your journey into the biblical calendar—or even if you’ve been observing for years—it helps so much to have the dates mapped out for the year ahead for a quick reference.
I created a free, printable 2025 Biblical Holidays Bookmark just for you to tuck inside of your Bibles. On the other side, it lists the original order of the Old Testament books.
Click here to download the FREE 2025 Biblical Holidays Bookmark.
Hang it on your fridge, put it inside your Bible, add the dates to your planner, and use it to begin cultivating a home that moves in rhythm with God’s time.
Fruit for Thought
A simple simmer pot may not seem like much. But it’s these little, intentional things that build the culture of your home. They say, “This time matters. This day is set apart.”
You don’t need a perfect table setting or gourmet meal. Start with what you have. Start with a pot of water and a sliced apple.
Let the fragrance rise and welcome in the new year with your whole heart.
Shanah Tovah! May you be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Praise Yeshua!
