by Rabbi Yisrael Rutman

The Israel Honey Export Council has announced a record-breaking season for exports. 180,000 jars of honey and honey products have been shipped to Jewish markets in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Germany, France and Belgium. This represents a 15% increase over average annual export figures.

Honey sales are traditionally up this time of year, in anticipation of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. That’s because of the minhag (custom) to dip bread and apples in honey at the festival meal. It goes with a brief prayer that we merit a sweet year to come.

In the midst of a severe financial crisis, all the talk (in the media, at least) is of what went wrong, who to blame, who and how to fix it. The path out of the crisis is uncertain, even to the government officials and Wall Street moguls who are charged with the task of rescue. A bitter situation situation indeed; a good time to say a prayer for a sweeter future.

Yet, there is reason to be hopeful. The bitterness of the present can itself produce a sweeter future. The story of Eliyahu (Elijah) the Prophet will serve to illustrate: Eliyahu is a favorite figure in Jewish tradition. One of the first “to speak truth to power,” he put his life on the line by standing up against the idolatrous king and queen, Ahab and Jezebel. His showdown with the worshipers of the idol Ba’al was a triumphant moment in the Biblical period. Eliyahu challenged them to call upon their idol and see if it would answer them, and he would do the same with the God of Israel. They built an altar, offered sacrifices and called upon Ba’al: “Answer us, O Ba’al! Answer us!” But nothing happened. Nobody home at the Ba’al.

Then Eliyahu called out at the altar he had built, “Answer me, O God! Answer me!” At that moment, an answering fire descended from the heavens and consumed his offering. “And all the people saw, and fell on their faces, saying, “God is the Lord! God is the Lord!”

The Biblical narrative mentions that the confrontation between Eliyahu and the Ba’al lobby had been preceded by three consecutive years of drought. The question has been asked: Given such a clear demonstration of the truth, and the people’s recognition of it, why did God deem it necessary to visit upon them so much suffering beforehand? What purpose was served by the drought?

The answer is, that the people were so attached to Ba’al, so believed that all their success was due to the powers of Ba’al and its priests, that no demonstration, no matter how spectacular, could have swayed them. In a time of normal rainfall and prosperity, they would have closed their eyes to the truth, and found ways to rationalize the Ba’al’s defeat. Only after three years of drought, in which God showed His absolute control over the rains and harvests, and the futility of depending on Ba’al or any other force for help, would they be receptive to the truth.

These too are anxious days. The powers-that-be, the idols of Wall Street and Washington, have been called upon, and so far have failed. They cannot guarantee prosperity or security.

The Rambam explains the reason for blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashana is to “wake up the sleeping…to repent and remember God.” During the year we sleep, insensate to God’s existence and control over the world. On Rosh Hashana, we wake up to the shofar’s sound. The entirety of the Rosh Hashana prayers constitute a kind of coronation of the King of the universe, the Creator. We attest to the fact that He, and no other, created and runs the world.

The shofar is blown on Rosh Hashana every year. But it’s hard to hear it the way we should, to hear the message of Who is really in charge. But when the false gods are silent, the shofar can be heard.

Jars of honey are a sweet message of hope in a bitter time. May the day come soon when the sweetness that goes forth from the Land of Israel be more than jars of honey, more than mere symbols of a better time to come.

L’Shana Tova!

Sources: Rabbi Leib Chasman, quoted in K’motzei Shlal Rav (Rosh Hashana), P. 172; Rambam, Hilchos Tesuvah 3:4.

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