Apples and Honey (deep thoughts)

Why do we eat apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah?

On a simple level, it is to have a sweet new year. On a deeper level, it is to remind
us of the Jewish mission.

The bee is not a kosher animal, it is a bug, and an often ornery one at that. Yet,
from this animal comes forth something so sweet and perfect that it will never decay.
Life is not always easy. For a variety of reasons, we find bumps along the way. Know
that if we stick together and help one another out, like the bees, we can take the
worst situations and make them sweet.

Apples, according to the Zohar, possess the scent of Gan Eden. While the Jewish community can work together taking the worst situations to produce honey, Jews are also cognizant that better times are
on the way. We await the Messianic redemption when the entire world will be
perfected and smell like the Garden of Eden. For those uncomfortable with messianic ideas, know that the Jewish philosopher Herman Cohen said that the concept of messianism introduced the idea of positive change into the world. He explains that the world follows an asymptotic line, constantly moving towards a state of perfection. The apples in this sense represent the power of mankind to improve and perfect their world. 

So this holiday season, know that the Greensboro Jewish Federation is wishing you strength to improve the world and thanking you for coming together to make honey.  

Shana Tova!! Here is to a year filled with the honey
of good friends.
Ketiva V'Chatima Tova!!