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JewishBeekeepersSweetenRosh
Hashanah,NewYearHoliday
Don'tmissthehoneycakerecipeattheend.
Posted: 09/13/2015 08:18 AM EDT
(RNS)SabrinaMalachacknowledgesthatsheoncefeltsome“Jewishguilt”abouther
honeybees.
“Arewestealingfromthem?”shehadaskedherself.“They’vedoneallthiswork.Theynever
stop,andnowwe’retakingalltheirhoney.”
ButasshelookstowardtheJewishNewYear,whichbeginsSundayevening(Sept.13),the
Jewishbeekeepersharesthatsheeventuallylearnedtheoppositelessonaboutbeesandhoney,
agastronomicsymboloftheholiday.
“Beesteachthatnatureisgenerousandabundant,”saidMalach,whoworksatShoresh,a
CanadiannonprofitthatlinksenvironmentalismtoJewishpractice.
“It’sthroughpollinationthatIseethespiritualityofbeekeeping,”shesaid.Theyareaspecies
thathelpsotherspeciesthriveandsurvive.”
ThelessonsofthehiveareallthemorecrucialtolearnthisNewYear,sayJewishapiarists,as
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COURTESY OF RISA ALYSON COOPER
Sabrina Malach observes her bees at Bela Farm, run by Shoresh, a Canadian Jewish environmental group.
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Edition: US
beekeepersarecalled.Aworldwide,decadelongcollapseofhoneybeehivescontinues,and
beesmaybeabellwetherspeciesoftheconsequencesofenvironmentaldegradation.
Beekeeping,formany,isbothanecologicalandreligiousmission.
Shoresh’ssixhealthyhives,tendedonafarmaboutanhour’sdrivefromthegroup’sToronto
headquarters,thisyearwillproducemorethan40gallons,or1,000jarsofhoneyintimefor
RoshHashanah,theHebrewnamefortheholiday.
OnRoshHashanah,“theheadoftheyear,”Jewstheworldoverwilleatapplesdippedin
honeyandwisheachothernotjustahappy,buta“sweet”newyear.IntheTorah,orHebrew
Bible,thePromisedLandisknownas“thelandofmilkandhoney.”FordessertatRosh
Hashanahdinner,Jewishfamiliesbakehoneycake(recipebelow).
Andthoughnooneiskeepingtabs,theideathatRoshHashanahhoneyshouldcomenotfrom
thesupermarket,butfromafellowJewwhohastakenupbeekeepingasaspiritualhobby,
seemstobespreading.It’spartofaJewishbacktothefarmmovement,saidCalifornia
beekeeperAlisaGoldberg,anditstretchesfromherSanJosebackyardtotherooftopsof
Brooklyn.
“EatinghoneyonRoshHashanahcanseemevensweeterwhenitcomesfromyourownhive,
orthatofaneighbororfriend,”saidGoldberginanemailfromIsrael,wheresheisspending
theholiday.Herhusband,HaroldGoldberg,hasinspiredseveralneighborstoestablishhivesof
theirown,andthisyearfiveJewishfamiliesjoinedtogetherforapreRoshHashanahhoney
extractionproject.
“Wedon’tsellthehoney,buttrytoshareitasgenerouslyaswecan,”hesaid.
AvrahamLaber,anOrthodoxrabbiandbeekeeperwholearnedthecraftfromhisneighborin
Troy,N.Y.,10yearsago,nowuseshishobbytoteachbothadultsandchildrenabouttaking
responsibilityfortheircommunitiesandtheplanet.
Honeybees—whichpollinateplantsastheynourishthemselves,andwhichformharmonious
hiveswhereeachinsectcontributestothewelfareofeachother—reflectJewishteachingson
lifeandthedivine,Jewishbeekeeperssay.
COURTESY OF ANDREA SHUGAR
Bela Farm honey harvest. Photo courtesy of Andrea Shugar
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“Whatweseeintheserviceofhoneybeesistheamazinglessonthateveryonecanbebotha
giverandreceiver,”saidLaber,oftheChabadmovement.
Takethetreesthatneedthebeestopollinatetheirflowersbeforetheycanbearfruit.“God
createdthemthattheydon’tjusthavetobegforhelp,”hesaid.“Theycanoffersomethingin
exchange—theirnectar—togetwhattheyneed.”
Ofcoursehoneybeesarenotgettingwhattheyneed.Scientistsinthepastdecadehave
documentedtheglobaldemiseofthespecies:Eachyearaboutathirdofhivescollapse.
Theproblem,knownascolonycollapsedisorder,terrifiesfarmersandenvironmentalistswho
understandthathoneybeesarekeytothesurvivalofahostofcrops.Anumberofculpritsare
thoughttohavecontributedtothemassbeedeaths.Amongthem:pesticides,amite,harsher
weatherandthedecliningdiversityofpollenproducingwildflowers.
RabbiFredScherlinderDobb,oftheCoalitionontheEnvironmentandJewishLife,doesnot
keepbees,butseesthemassymbolsofnature’sintricacy,celebratedonthebirthdayofthe
EartheachRoshHashanah.
HenotesthatGodintheTorahpronouncespartsofhiscreation“good,”butonlyproclaimsit
“verygood”afterhesurveys“all”thathecreated,“theinterconnectedwhole.”
“Thatistheweboflife,andbecausebeestouchsomanystrandsofthatwebwithinalocal
ecosystem,weneedtohearthesilentcryoftheabsentbees,”saidScherlinderDobb.
Hecalleditanecologicalandtheologicalwarning.
“Witheveryhivethatcollapsesweareseeinghumanityplacingitsfootprintdirectlyoverthe
divinesignatureofcreation.”
HONEYCAKE
(Serves1012)
31∕2cupsallpurposeflour
1tablespoonbakingpowder
COURTESY OF LISA BORDEN
Bee keepers tend to the bees at Bela Farm. Photo courtesy of Lisa Borden
1teaspoonbakingsoda
1∕2teaspoonsalt
4teaspoonscinnamon
1∕2teaspoongingerpowder
1∕2teaspoonallspice
1∕8teaspoonnutmeg
1cupvegetableoil
1cuporangeblossom,cloverorTupelohoney
1cupsugar
1∕2cupbrownsugar
2largeeggs
1teaspoonvanillaextract
1cupwarmcoffeeorstrongbrewedtea
3∕4cuporangejuice(notfromconcentrate)
1∕2teaspoonorangezest
1∕2cupslicedtoastedalmonds
Powderedsugarfordusting
1.Preheattheovento350degrees,andevenlygreaseaBundtpanwithbutter,vegetableoilor
cookingspray.Inalargebowl,whisktogethertheflour,bakingpowder,bakingsoda,saltand
spices.
2.Makeawellinthecenterandaddtheoil,honey,bothsugars,eggs,vanilla,coffee,orange
juiceandzest.Usingawhiskoranelectricmixersettolowspeed,combinetheingredientsto
makeastiffbatter.
3.Spoonbatterintopreparedpan.Placethepanonabakingsheet,andbakeuntilthecake
springsbackwhenyoutouchitinthecenter,about1hour.(Becarefulnottooverbake.)Let
cakestandfor15minutesbeforeremovingitfromthepan.Theninvertontoawireracktocool
beforeslicing.Servetoppedwithalmondsanddustedwithpowderedsugar,ifdesired.
Source:TheJewishDailyForward’sblog,“TheJewandtheCarrot”
AlsoonHuffPost:
1 of 13 RoshHashanahRecipes
Flickr:grongar
MORE:Judaism,NewYear,Honey,Beekeeping,RoshHashanah,Recipe
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1 Comment Sort by
Lorne Newman · Tel Aviv, IsraelI bought my honey from a Druse woman at the Druse village of Majdal Shams in theGolan Heights. Terrific quality!
Like · Reply · 1 · Sep 14, 2015 10:36am
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