Apples and Honey

June 5, 2023 by  
Filed under Faith, Faith Articles

One cool fall morning I was enjoying waffles with friends.  One of the guests to the party, Patty, came late but she brought a beautiful offering of apples and honey.  As a group of Christians, it didn’t make much sense to us the importance of this offering.  Patty had always been a little odd, but she explained that it was the beginning of the Jewish Year (Rosh Hashanah) and that apples and honey was a traditional meal of celebration for the day.  According to aish.com, the apple represents the love of the Israel people and the honey is for the sweetness desired in the New Year.  I must say that it was a tasty treat, something that still makes my mouth water to think about it.  

Beyond the memory, it was the start a new beginning for me.  As much interest as I had in my Jewish brothers and sisters, it never really stuck out to me what exactly was going on in their faith.  Patty’s offering showed me that the majority of these celebrations that I had read about in the Bible were marked with physical reminders of things that occurred.  It set me down a path to find and make these physical reminders for my own life. 

I am thankful that God brought me together with my husband.  In marriage, there is the ring that reminds us of not only the day that our lives were joined, but of God’s part in that union as well.  My husband also brought with him the tradition of the advent wreath.  The lighting of candles to anticipate and prepare for the coming of the Christ on Christmas day brings me much joy. 

Another physical tradition that we have woven into our lives is hot cross buns for Good Friday.  I generally make them on Good Friday or Maundy Thursday to celebrate the death that gave us life.  And they are a sweet treat to boot. 

The one physical thing that we do most often, however, is to celebrate Sabbath.  This celebration has grown during the years of our marriage, but the one that has come to mean the most to me are the Sabbath cups.  While on vacation, we bought two hand made mugs from one of our favorite artists.  We only use these cups to share coffee with one another on the Sabbath day.  They sit in the cupboard all week reminding me that the day of rest is coming soon.  I love to sit and talk with my husband over coffee in these special cups, because they are a physical reminder that this day is separate from all the others. 

It has been a long time since I celebrated Rosh Hashanah with Patty and the apples and honey.  But that moment of seeing something intangible being marked with something very physical and real will stay with me for many new years to come.

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