Apples and Honey for a sweet New Year

Tonight is the first night of Rosh Hashanah
These questions and answers were taken from Askmoses.com after I thought of the apple and honey custom

Why do we dip an apple into honey on Rosh Hashanah?
On a practical level, we take an apple which is sweet (not a green, tart tasting apple) and dip it into sweet honey, as a tangible reflection of our trust and prayers that G-d will grant us all a sweet year.

Why specifically an apple?
There is also symbolism implicit in the apple. Solomon writes, referring to the romance between G-d and the Jewish people, (Song of Songs 8:5), "Beneath the apple tree I aroused you[r love]." On Rosh Hashanah we try to, once again, remind G-d of our mutual love.



According to Kabbalah the apple is an allusion to the mystical level of "chakal tapuchin kadishin" (the Holy Apple Field).

When Jacob came to receive his father, Isaac's, blessings, he had the scent of an apple orchard upon his clothing. This incident took place on Rosh Hashanah.


Also, when you cut an apple in half horizontally you will see ten little holes and a five pointed star. Ten is the numerical value of the Hebrew letter Yud, and five is the numerical value of the Hebrew letter Hey. Together they spell out G-d's name. Those two letters are also an acronym for the words "Hand of G-d". This reminds us that if we look closely and pay attention we will discover G-d's hand in our life and the world around us.

 Here is also a new take on the eat apples and honey


Apple Chips

Recipe courtesy Alex Guarnaschelli from Food Network
.The simple syrup really makes a difference with these apple chips. It makes them shiny and more crispy. You can reuse the syrup to sweeten tea or make another batch of apple chips.

Prep Time:15 minInactive Prep Time:12 hr 0 minCook Time:1 hr 0 minLevel:

EasyServes:
4 servings.
Ingredients
•2 cups water

•1 1/2 cups sugar

•2 to 3 lemons, juiced

•2 small apples, preferably a crisp, flavorful variety like Royal Gala or Winesap, washed and dried

Directions
In a small pot, combine the water and sugar and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Set aside to cool.

Place the apples on a flat surface. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, cut each one, placing the core end of the apple in front of the blade, into rounds as thin as you can manage. Remove any seeds as you cut and sprinkle them with lemon juice. Submerge the apple slices in the syrup and allow them to "rest" for a few hours or, even better, overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
Remove some of the apples from the syrup and lightly dry them on a kitchen towel. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet with parchment or on a tray fitted with a baking rack. Note: you may want to place something heavy, like a metal spoon, at each end of the paper to prevent the paper from folding over as the chips bake. Bake in the oven until crispy, about 1 hour.