Rosh Hashanah and Honey
Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year. In this article, we will discuss the origins of Rosh Hashanah and how this holiday became associated with eating honey.
Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holy Days written about in Leviticus 23:23-32 in the bible. It is a two-day holiday celebrated at the beginning of Tishrei, which is the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year. According to Jewish teachings, this day marks the creation of Adam and Eve. It is also the first day of the civil year.
There are several customs that occur on Rosh Hashanah. The most well-known custom is the sounding of the shofar. The shofar is a hollowed-out ram’s horn that is played like a bugle. This is done in observance of scriptures written in the Torah which is the Hebrew Bible. The Torah instructs Jews to “raise a noise” on this day. In fact, the day is called Yom Teruah in the scriptures which translates to “day of shouting or blasting”.
Another custom is to attend synagogue services on this day and to recite special liturgy and prayers. A special prayer book is often used on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Finally, special meals and feasts are held in celebration of this day. During these meals, symbolic foods are eaten. This is where the tradition of eating apple slices dipped in honey was born. Ancient Jews believed apples had healing properties. The honey was used to signify that the new year ahead would be sweet.
We hope that you will enjoy this tradition of eating apples and honey with your family. If you are searching for just the right honey to pair with apples we recommend any of our light-colored honey such as Orange Blossom or Raspberry Blossom.
To learn more about the benefits of Raw Honey read our article “5 Health Benefits of Raw Honey”.
