I called this article “humorous” but I don’t take credit for being a comedian; all of these stories were told to me by friends who were trying hard to fulfill the mitzvah of having a head at the table (every table has a head, but this is more literal) a fish or sheep’s head, on Rosh Hashana. We say before we eat “May we be at the head and not at the tail” meaning, may we be successful, and then we eat a portion of a fish or sheep’s head. I confess, it isn’t so easy for me to take that tiny bite of the carp’s head every year (my husband, on the other hand, loves fish heads), but it is something I make myself do and I hope that it has paid off in bringing me some good fortune. However, some of my friends have had challenges along the way to performing this custom.
There are many cats roaming around Jerusalem, which I personally think is a good thing, since it means fewer rats. However, they do like to jump in through open windows. One Erev Rosh Hashana, a cat jumped into a house and ran off with the local Rabbi’s fish head! His wife chased after the cat, even though there was really no point; the cat had eaten it all.
I forgot to get a fish head one year and though of maybe using head of sardines. Imagine chopping off their tiny heads and lifting them on toothpicks! Luckily, a friend had a spare head. (when you lose your head it helps to have a friend who still has hers!)
Many of the more daring have the custom of using a sheep’s head. A rabbi in the Midwest loved this custom and ordered his sheep’s head early from a kosher butcher in New York. The cleaning lady, who was unfamiliar with the custom, opened the freezer and saw a sheep’s head staring back at her. She bolted from the house and never returned!
A friend of mine also orders a sheep’s head every year. Once, the butcher made a mistake and sent her order to someone else. He refilled the order on the spot and the son took it home to his mother. When he told her what happened, she replied. “Oh no! Some lady thinks she is getting a nice stuffed cabbage, and when she opens the package, out will pop that head!”