Dipping apples in honey for sweet New Year

Apple and Jar of honey written in Hebrew with Shofar

What can be better than having a tradition that has to do with food consumption. Let’s face it. It makes the tradition easy to remember and enjoy. However at Ancient Ties we feel that one must dig into their history and appreciate the fabric of their heritage. Let the journey begin…

Song of Solomon / Shir Hashirim chapter 8: 5 “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? Under the apple-tree I awakened thee; there thy mother was in travail with thee; there was she in travail and brought thee forth.” There are those that say that the text is metaphor for the love of Israel and God. As Jews approach the holiest period of the Hebrew calendar they are reminded of the strong bond of love.

The apple from the inside out – When we take an apple and cut it in a cross-section ( not from the stem), we reveal an ovary with 5 compartments called carpels. Each carpel contain 2 seeds, for a total of 10 seeds. In Hebrew numerology (Gematria), each letter has numerical value. In this example we have the number 10 and 5. 10= י and 5= ה When we combine these letter יה and you get God’s name. This example shows that God can be seen in all of creation.

A land flowing with milk and honey Exodus 3:8 “Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them up from that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Hivites and the Jebusites.” The honey mentioned is the the sweetness of the land most likely the fig fruit and not the honey of bees. The honey reminds us of the sweetness of our life as compared to the bitterness of slavery.