No matter what the ancestry of kreplach is, it will always be intertwined with the Jewish faith. Kreplach are known best for their incredible religious significance in Judaism. Jewish people eat kreplach as a special treat on four of the biggest holidays on the Jewish calendar: Yom Kippur, Hoshana Rabbah, Purim and Shavuot. Yom Kippur is “The Day of Atonement, a day of rest and fasting (Gaster, 135). The night before Yom Kippur, meat kreplach are served because mystics compare the wrapping of the dough to the divine envelopment of mercy, kindness, and protection, all things demonstrated on Yom Kippur. Hashanah Rabbah, the seventh day of Sukkot, is the day when the verdicts of judgment delivered on Yom Kippur are sealed, and traditional Yom Kippur eve meals like kreplach are served for the same reason as above (Marks, 329).
Another symbolic meaning of kreplach is that the filling is “beaten” just like willow branches are beaten on Hoshanah Rabbah to signify the frailty of human lives (Gaster, 95). All sinners theoretically deserve to be beaten on Yom Kippur. This also explains why kreplach are eaten on Purim, because Haman, the man who wanted to destroy all Jews, was beaten on Purim. The significance of Haman is demonstrated by the fact that kreplach are folded like a triangle to reflect Haman’s three-sided hat. Purim, Hoshanah Rabbah, and Yom Kippur are also holidays where work is allowed, unlike Shabbat, and the kreplach is said to remind everyone of the holidays’ hidden holiness, just like the hidden filling in the kreplach. Unlike the other holidays, cheese kreplach are served on Shavuot. How the dumpling and Jewish holidays became intertwined is unclear (Marks, 329). What we do know is, the kreplach has a rich culture going back hundreds of years, and in Judaism, nothing is more important than tradition.
