In many cultures, the New Year symbolizes a time of renewal, celebration, and new beginnings. The Jewish religion is no exception. Judaism has symbolism to that effect. One of the most iconic symbols of Rosh Hashanah is that of apples dipped in honey. Where does this practice originate? Why do we do it? What is its significance?
It might be tempting to tie it back to the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, but the Torah never identifies the type of fruit that grew from that Tree. We do not find any mention of the combination of apples and honey neither in the Torah nor in the Talmud. The practice dates back to the Geonic period, which is somewhere between the sixth and eleventh centuries. As to the why, there are multiple interpretations. However, the simplest and most common answer to give is because apples and honey are both sweet foods. We wish people a sweet, happy new year. As a matter of fact, the phrase we utter after we recite the blessing of the apple on Rosh Hashanah is the following:
יהי רצון מלפנך שתחדש עלינו שנה טובה ומתוקה.
May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year.
We don't just wish for a good year, but also a sweet one. Isn't sweetness a subset of goodness? Why emphasize the sweetness? You can have something purposeful without enjoying it. You can also have something enjoyable without meaning. As Harvard professor Tal Ben-Shahar explains in his book Happier, happiness is a combination between pleasure and meaning. But why the emphasis on sweetness? Sweetness implies richness, goodness, a reward, or something pleasurable. There is something about the experience that you are truly meant to enjoy when having something sweet. I can certainly understand sweetness in the abstract. We want people to have a wonderful year. It almost sounds idyllic in theory, especially since we are combining two sweet foods during this ritual. However, if a ritual is to mean anything, if we are to have a sweet New Year in practice, we need to find ways to make the world a bit sweeter. Otherwise, the consumption of apples dipped in honey remains hollow. How do we have a sweet year? I think the beginning of that answer ironically can be found in the Passover seder.
One of the requirements of the Passover seder is to eat bitter herbs. Another part of the Passover seder is to eat charoset, which is a paste made of fruits and nuts. Interestingly enough, apples is a common choice for charoset, which is why I bring it up. The bitter herbs represent the bitterness of the slavery that the Israelites endured (Exodus 12:8). The charoset is consumed during the seder to blunt the taste of the bitterness. As I brought up seven years ago, the consumption of the bitter herbs is mandatory, whereas the consumption of charoset is optional. If the Passover seder is to be a metaphor for life, the meaning within the "bitter herbs versus charoset" is that bitterness in life is inevitable, even though we wish for a sweet new year during Rosh Hashanah. At the same time, sweetness is optional. One of the beauties of the Passover story is that we are given freedom, even in such difficult times as the ones in which we find ourselves. But that is the first step: we have to choose the sweetness.
While a paradigm shift is essential, it is not the only step. In Christianity, the end goal is salvation. In Buddhism, it is karma. Both are focused on the destination. Judaism, in contrast, is focused on the journey. If Judaism reminds us of anything, it is that spirituality is a long-term process. As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel says in his book Between Man and G-d, "A Jew is asked to take a leap of action rather than a leap of thought" and that "the destiny of man is to be a partner of G-d and a mitzvah is an act in which man is present, an act of participation." We are meant to "walk after your L-rd your G-d" (Deuteronomy 13:5). What does it mean to walk after G-d? According to the Talmud (Sotah 14a), it means to imitate G-d. The examples the Talmud outlines our clothing the naked, visiting the sick, and comforting mourners. We emulate G-d in our actions. When we connect to these actions, at least based on Jewish thought, we are connecting to the sweetness that G-d has given us.
Bringing us back to the metaphor of apples dipped into honey, we are to bring sweetness and happiness through our actions. After all, Judaism and the system of mitzvot is very much based on one's actions, as opposed to one's beliefs. We have to consistently pursue actions. It would explain why a traditional Jew says the Shema twice a day or why a traditional Jew prays for forgiveness three times a day in daily prayers. While some of these concepts seem straightforward or simple, they are hardly easy to implement. It might be easy to think of justice or kindness when you are putting on tefillin and uttering words about how we should pursue those concepts. But how difficult is it to put in practice and to do so more consistently? If good actions are applied wisdom, which is how I feel about the role of philosophy, then we should see this improvement in our actions.
One of the things I appreciate about Chasidic thought, certainly at its founding, is that it believed in not just going through the motions. Sweetness is not a mere byproduct of meaningful work, but we are meant to find authentic joy in the process. After all, that happens to be one of the major themes of the holiday of Sukkot. As I brought up about eight Sukkots ago, happiness is not something to be acquired. It is a byproduct of one's action, as well as to what and to whom we connect. Going off my thought about Chasidic thought, I would add it is how we connect to that which is around us. Gratitude is one of many ways that we can make those stronger connections.
While Jewish rituals and ethics provide a strong base to develop the sweetness, this concept applies beyond Jewish religious practice. Happiness is an elusive concept and can vary from person to person, much like people have different taste buds and have a different take on sweetness. However, what science has revealed, and was made famous by psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky in her book The How of Happiness, is that there is a significant percentage of happiness under our control. Let's take exercise as an example. Regular exercise is shown to increase dopamine and serotonin levels, which would help fight off depression. We are what we eat. This does not simply apply to symbolism found in kosher eating, but also in terms of how healthier diet can improve overall physical health. Meditation is also shown to have benefits, including lower stress, improved outlook on life, and a lengthened attention span. While they seem secular in nature, I would argue that self-care, exercise, and anything pertaining to one's health are applications of the mitzvah to "guard yourself and guard your soul carefully (Deuteronomy 4:9)." Not only do we live longer lives, but we are happier and more energetic in our pursuit towards a healthier version of the self. I would also contend that taking control over the things you can control also creates a sweetness because it creates a sense of agency, feeling of accomplishment, and a connection with living in accordance to one's values.
I want to conclude with two points. The first point is that Jewish thought tends to emphasis the purpose and meaning aspect. With Rosh Hashanah, you get to focus on the sweetness, as well. An ideal life is not solely about living according to one's values or to have goals, but also enjoying the experience.
The second point has to do with the nature of happiness and sweetness. It is custom to wish people a "Good and Sweet New Year." It is not an automatic process, and G-d is not a vending machine that will give you sweetness or goodness simply because you ask for it. You have to choose sweetness and make the paradigm shift to live a purpose-driven life with a more positive outlook. But it doesn't stop there. Much like anything in life, anything worthwhile takes constant effort, whether that was the Israelites from the Passover story being free or us having a sweet new year. So much of the High Holiday season is about introspection into the previous year and also looking forward. Sweetness is not going to fall on your lap. What are you willing to do differently from last year to make it truly good and sweet?
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