The Weekly Dvar Torah
Volume I Issue #19
The Year of the Apple and Honey
Rosh HaShanah
Adapted from the wisdom of Rav Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk from the Meshech Chochmoh and Rav Tzadok HaCohen from Pri Tzadik and other works.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
This publication, Zichron Yehoshua, is in memory of Yehoshua Yakov ben Moshe-Jeffrey Nussbaum through a generous grant from Dr. Eric Nussbaum and family.
With great appreciation and admiration I dedicate this issue to my remarkable partner Rabbi Yisroel Fabian and cherished colleagues Rabbi Shabsi Bulman, Rabbi Simcha Ross and Rabbi Boruch Sungolowsky. May Hashem bless all of them with a Shana tova u'metuka
The sweet New Year will soon be ushered in with fervent prayers and teshuva. But let's not forget the apple and honey. We are all familiar with the ancient custom to eat an apple dipped in honey on Rosh Hashana. Delicious and enjoyable as this practice is, nevertheless it deserves a closer examination into its deeper meaning. Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin explains that every year when Rosh Hashana arrives we commemorate the creation of the world. However it is more than just a commemoration; there is an actual renewal that transpires every year at this time. With the onset of every New Year, Hashem reactivates the very same spiritual forces that were operative during the original creation of the world In effect, Hashem recreates the world every Rosh Hashana. The only difference between the first creation and the subsequent yearly renewals is the fact that the former was preceded by absolute nothingness. Our sages teach us that when Hashem brought the world into existence, his initial intent was to create it with the Divine attribute of din – judgment. Rav Tzadok further explains that the preferred Divine plan was to require man to conduct himself in full compliance with Hashem's will, allowing for absolutely no deviations. It was only as a result of the sin of Adam and Hava, that Hashem introduced the Divine attribute of rachamim – mercy. In light of this, Rav Tzadok points out that on every Rosh Hashana the Divine attribute of din – judgment is once again present. This is why we find the theme of din – judgment throughout our observance and prayers on Rosh Hashana.
The center piece of creation was Adam. He was created with the highest degree of spiritual perfection that the limitations of physicality can accommodate. Adam had the ability to live in absolute compliance and harmony with the exacting standard of Divine din – judgment. The natural state of man is to want to do the will of Hashem. Shlomo haMelech (King Solomon) articulates this idea as follows "G-d made man yashar – straight/upright, but they pursued many things" (Koheles 7:29). The message of this verse is that we are 'hard wired' to be upright and straight beings. It is an intrinsic part of our character. Unfortunately, our external pursuits and desires often stand in the way of our inborn sense of what is straight and good. This is why we need the attribute of rachamim – mercy. Hashem's mercy gives us the time and resources necessary to return to our inborn state of straightness when we temporarily succumb to the earthly temptations of this world.
Adam did not live up to the potential he possessed despite his innate perfection of character. He experienced a critical lapse in exercising moral judgment. The event that brought out Adam's flaw was the temptation of eating from the forbidden fruits. Thus the act of eating, more than anything else, is the particular activity that lays bare the physicality of man. Rav Tzadok explains that this is why on Rosh Hashana we have the custom of eating various special foods accompanied by short prayers for a good and blessed year. These customary foods are eaten in addition to the apple and honey. Every Rosh Hashana Hashem reactivates the inherent goodness and straightness that man was created with. The custom of eating the aforementioned foods coupled with our prayers to Hashem, demonstrates that unlike Adam, we are capable of remaining straight even when faced with physical temptation. The spiritual act of prayer together with the physical act of eating shows that we are able to indulge in physical pleasure without compromising our attachment to Hashem.
When we eat the apple and honey we recite a short prayer "May it be the will of Hashem our G-d to renew for us a good and sweet year" Rav Tzadok elucidates this in the following way. The apple is a symbol of the inborn goodness within every Jew. Both Hashem and the Jewish people are likened to an apple (Shir haShirim 2:3 The Song of Songs). In Issaiah 3:10 the fruits of the tree are used as a metaphor for the righteousness and unwavering faithfulness of the tzadikim. Just as a tree faithfully produces its fruits so too does the tzadik act consistently with total loyalty to Hashem's will. When we hold the apple in our hands and pray to Hashem to bless us with a good [year], we should reflect not only the physical apple but on its symbolism. We are in essence asking Hashem to help us stay true and loyal to our inborn character of straightness and goodness.
In the prayer cited above we do not merely request a good year but a sweet one as well. Rav Tzadok explains that the honey represents the sweetness of righteous deeds. In addition to asking Hashem to help us remain faithful to that which is good in his eyes, we pray that He grant us the ability to enjoy doing the right thing. We request that Hashem help us taste the honey-like sweetness of the mitzvos, and feel the pleasure of doing His will. Hashem's greatest desire is that we should enjoy doing the mitzvos and studying the Torah. The seemingly simple act of eating the apple and honey combined with this beautiful prayer encapsulate the entire theme of Rosh Hashana: din – judgment. When we experience the sweetness of Torah and mitzvos, i.e. the pleasure of faithful and joyful service to our Creator, there is little chance that we will deviate from the path of righteousness and our own inherent goodness.
The central mitzvah of Rosh Hashana is the sounding of the shofar. The Torah requires us to blow two types of sounds. They are called tekiah and teruah. (We add other sounds because we are in doubt what the teruah sound actually sounds like.) The tekiah sound is a straight unbroken note, whereas the teruah sound is broken up into small sequential notes. Every teruah is preceded and followed by a tekiah sound. Rav Tzadok explains that the first tekiah sound stands for the straightness of character that man was created with. The second tekiah, the one that follows the teruah, stands for the future time when all of mankind will return to straightness and perfection of character. The teruah sound in the middle is our present status of inconsistency of character and our attempt to straighten ourselves out through teshuva. May Hashem bless all of the Jewish people with a good, sweet and successful New Year.
You can be a partner in disseminating these wonderful teachings.
Please contact us for dedication opportunities.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
This publication, Zichron Yehoshua, is in memory of Yehoshua Yakov ben Moshe-Jeffrey Nussbaum through a generous grant from Dr. Eric Nussbaum and family.
With great appreciation and admiration I dedicate this issue to my remarkable partner Rabbi Yisroel Fabian and cherished colleagues Rabbi Shabsi Bulman, Rabbi Simcha Ross and Rabbi Boruch Sungolowsky. May Hashem bless all of them with a Shana tova u'metuka
The sweet New Year will soon be ushered in with fervent prayers and teshuva. But let's not forget the apple and honey. We are all familiar with the ancient custom to eat an apple dipped in honey on Rosh Hashana. Delicious and enjoyable as this practice is, nevertheless it deserves a closer examination into its deeper meaning. Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin explains that every year when Rosh Hashana arrives we commemorate the creation of the world. However it is more than just a commemoration; there is an actual renewal that transpires every year at this time. With the onset of every New Year, Hashem reactivates the very same spiritual forces that were operative during the original creation of the world In effect, Hashem recreates the world every Rosh Hashana. The only difference between the first creation and the subsequent yearly renewals is the fact that the former was preceded by absolute nothingness. Our sages teach us that when Hashem brought the world into existence, his initial intent was to create it with the Divine attribute of din – judgment. Rav Tzadok further explains that the preferred Divine plan was to require man to conduct himself in full compliance with Hashem's will, allowing for absolutely no deviations. It was only as a result of the sin of Adam and Hava, that Hashem introduced the Divine attribute of rachamim – mercy. In light of this, Rav Tzadok points out that on every Rosh Hashana the Divine attribute of din – judgment is once again present. This is why we find the theme of din – judgment throughout our observance and prayers on Rosh Hashana.
The center piece of creation was Adam. He was created with the highest degree of spiritual perfection that the limitations of physicality can accommodate. Adam had the ability to live in absolute compliance and harmony with the exacting standard of Divine din – judgment. The natural state of man is to want to do the will of Hashem. Shlomo haMelech (King Solomon) articulates this idea as follows "G-d made man yashar – straight/upright, but they pursued many things" (Koheles 7:29). The message of this verse is that we are 'hard wired' to be upright and straight beings. It is an intrinsic part of our character. Unfortunately, our external pursuits and desires often stand in the way of our inborn sense of what is straight and good. This is why we need the attribute of rachamim – mercy. Hashem's mercy gives us the time and resources necessary to return to our inborn state of straightness when we temporarily succumb to the earthly temptations of this world.
Adam did not live up to the potential he possessed despite his innate perfection of character. He experienced a critical lapse in exercising moral judgment. The event that brought out Adam's flaw was the temptation of eating from the forbidden fruits. Thus the act of eating, more than anything else, is the particular activity that lays bare the physicality of man. Rav Tzadok explains that this is why on Rosh Hashana we have the custom of eating various special foods accompanied by short prayers for a good and blessed year. These customary foods are eaten in addition to the apple and honey. Every Rosh Hashana Hashem reactivates the inherent goodness and straightness that man was created with. The custom of eating the aforementioned foods coupled with our prayers to Hashem, demonstrates that unlike Adam, we are capable of remaining straight even when faced with physical temptation. The spiritual act of prayer together with the physical act of eating shows that we are able to indulge in physical pleasure without compromising our attachment to Hashem.
When we eat the apple and honey we recite a short prayer "May it be the will of Hashem our G-d to renew for us a good and sweet year" Rav Tzadok elucidates this in the following way. The apple is a symbol of the inborn goodness within every Jew. Both Hashem and the Jewish people are likened to an apple (Shir haShirim 2:3 The Song of Songs). In Issaiah 3:10 the fruits of the tree are used as a metaphor for the righteousness and unwavering faithfulness of the tzadikim. Just as a tree faithfully produces its fruits so too does the tzadik act consistently with total loyalty to Hashem's will. When we hold the apple in our hands and pray to Hashem to bless us with a good [year], we should reflect not only the physical apple but on its symbolism. We are in essence asking Hashem to help us stay true and loyal to our inborn character of straightness and goodness.
In the prayer cited above we do not merely request a good year but a sweet one as well. Rav Tzadok explains that the honey represents the sweetness of righteous deeds. In addition to asking Hashem to help us remain faithful to that which is good in his eyes, we pray that He grant us the ability to enjoy doing the right thing. We request that Hashem help us taste the honey-like sweetness of the mitzvos, and feel the pleasure of doing His will. Hashem's greatest desire is that we should enjoy doing the mitzvos and studying the Torah. The seemingly simple act of eating the apple and honey combined with this beautiful prayer encapsulate the entire theme of Rosh Hashana: din – judgment. When we experience the sweetness of Torah and mitzvos, i.e. the pleasure of faithful and joyful service to our Creator, there is little chance that we will deviate from the path of righteousness and our own inherent goodness.
The central mitzvah of Rosh Hashana is the sounding of the shofar. The Torah requires us to blow two types of sounds. They are called tekiah and teruah. (We add other sounds because we are in doubt what the teruah sound actually sounds like.) The tekiah sound is a straight unbroken note, whereas the teruah sound is broken up into small sequential notes. Every teruah is preceded and followed by a tekiah sound. Rav Tzadok explains that the first tekiah sound stands for the straightness of character that man was created with. The second tekiah, the one that follows the teruah, stands for the future time when all of mankind will return to straightness and perfection of character. The teruah sound in the middle is our present status of inconsistency of character and our attempt to straighten ourselves out through teshuva. May Hashem bless all of the Jewish people with a good, sweet and successful New Year.
You can be a partner in disseminating these wonderful teachings.
Please contact us for dedication opportunities.