Some things are quintessentially Rosh HaShanah:  The sound of the shofar, the voice of the chazzan singing the unique melodies of the High Holiday nusach, and of course- the taste of apples and honey.  As a child, I would wait with anticipation as Rosh HaShanah approached- looking forward to dipping apples in honey.  It is a significant religious experience for children: A tradition sweet to the palate, with its symbolism concrete enough, even a small child can understand.  There are even songs that memorialize  this ritual.

Eating apples with honey, along with other “simanei milta – significant omens,” is an age old custom rooted in a statement in the Talmud:

Abaye said, ‘Now, since you say that omens are significant, at the begining of the year [Rosh Hashanah] one should make it a custom of eating gourds, fenugreek, leeks, beets and dates.’ (TB Horiyot 12a, Keritot 6a)

An early source for eating apples dipped in honey is found in the work of the Maharil (Yaakov ben Moshe Moelin, 1365-1427), who collected and codified the customs of German Jewry. As we eat this symbolic sweet treat we ask Hashem to bless us with a happy and sweet new year.

Why apples and honey?

According to one tradition, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was an apple tree. By eating apples on Rosh HaShanah, we remind ourselves that we are here on earth to rectify the sin of Adam and Eve- to listen to Hashem and follow his Torah; living lives of dignity and purpose and restoring light to the world.

But why honey?

Well, it’s sweet of course. But perhaps there is a more profound significance. The Talmud questions whether honey should even be considered kosher. After all, it is made by bees, a non-kosher insect. The Mishnah (Bechorot 1:2) teaches: “all that emanates from the impure is impure.” The Talmud (TB Bechorot 7b) explains that honey isn’t actually made by the bee, rather, the pollen from the flower is merely stored inside of the bee.

At first glance honey appears tameh- impure. In reality it is tahor-pure, and permissible.
Life is about taking the impure and making it pure; engaging this world; elevating the mundane and lifting up the sparks of holiness therein.

Reb Shlomo Carlebach explained that honey is sweet, but you have to watch out for the bees. One must take the honey from the dangerous hive with skill and caution. So too in life, he said, one must learn how to bring out the sweetness without getting stung.

Eating apples and honey on Rosh HaShanah reminds us that we are here to learn, grow and squeeze the sweetness out of every moment.