The depth of one of the most well-known Jewish customs: dipping the apple in the honey
Long before a certain US technology company made it an icon, the apple was a symbol of wisdom. Legend has it that the English scientist Isaac Newton discovered the principle of gravity when a falling apple struck him on the head. But that’s not the only source.
Although the Gemara (Sanhedrin 70a) and the Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 15:7) bring different opinions from among the Tannaim as to what the Pri Eitz Hadaas was — wheat, grapes, figs, or an esrog — there does seem to be an opinion that it was, in fact, an apple.
And based on this opinion, we can begin to understand the depth of one of the most well-known Jewish customs: dipping the apple in the honey.
According to Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 1,500 tons of honey, worth NIS 40 million, is consumed in that country during the High Holidays, and apple consumption increases by 68 percent.
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