Rosh Hashanah 5782

I am fairly certain that every child who has been in a Jewish preschool, kindergarten or synagogue program is familiar with the song, "Apples and Honey for a sweet New Year." It's a venerable Rosh Hashanah Eve custom to serve apple slices that are dipped in honey.

Honey obviously symbolizes our hope that the year ahead will be sweet and filled with good tidings, good health, shalom in a better world and that inner peace we all crave. Why, however, has an apple become Rosh Hashanah's chosen fruit? The Bible records that Adam and Eve sinned with the fruit of the forbidden tree. Folklore, both Jewish and general, has chosen the apple as the fruit that most tempted the first humans.

Rosh Hashanah begins the Yamim Nora'im (the Days of Awe) when we are challenged to look back at the past year and contemplate changes to which we aspire. These High Holy Days are a clarion call to reflect upon our lives. Have we behaved properly? Do we strive to reach out in love not only to our family but to the many others with whom we are in contact or in close relationships?

The prayers and rituals of these days challenge us with questions: Have I been a responsible human being? Have I owned up to my failures? Have I sought reconciliation to mend broken relationships? Have I tried to live a virtuous life? Deep within our hearts, we serenade our virtues but tend to be less circumspect when it comes to our failings.

In my mind's eye, I often picture God holding an apple in His hand while addressing the first humans. Adam shifted the blame to Eve, "the life partner that You created for me." Eve shifted the blame to the wily serpent that tempted her to pluck the apple from the tree.

God summarily rejected these defenses. The Almighty was clear that He created humans with the capacity to choose between right and wrong. Our tradition teaches that God planted within us both a Yetzer HaTov (good inclination) and a Yetzer HaRah (evil inclination). When faced with moral decisions, we can submit either to the temptation generated by the latter or take the high road laid out for us by the former. The apple is there to remind us that we are responsible for our decisions, for our actions, for our acts of commission and sins of omission.

We share this world with others with whom our lives are interrelated. We impact upon them as they impact upon us. As we hold that apple slice dipped in honey between our fingers, we symbolize our wishes for a sweet year, but are also reminded of the many ways we can and do impact upon the "taste" of the days in our lives.

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From the holy city of Jerusalem, I extend the traditional blessing that this year – and the years ahead – be sweetened with good health, family harmony, fruitful accomplishments, and a multitude of good tidings.

לשנה טובה תכתבו

Rabbi Arnold M Goodman
Senior Rabbinic Scholar