Rosh HaShanah celebrates the Jewish New Year and is closely connected to nature and the seasonal harvests. It’s the first Jewish Holy High Day, and there are religious traditions like blowing the shofar, but most people choose to celebrate Rosh HaShanah with a family dinner – and tasty holiday foods.
When is Rosh HaShanah 2022?
Rosh HaShanah begins on the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. The actual date of the holiday (as calculated according to the modern calendar) varies every year. Rosh HaShanah 2022 begins at sunset on Sunday 25th September and ends at nightfall on Tuesday 27th September.
If you’re celebrating Rosh HaShanah 2022 in Israel, you’ve hit the jackpot this year. The timing means that many people will be able to take Thursday and Sunday off work and enjoy a proper holiday break. If you’re planning to fly to Israel for Rosh HaShanah, you need to book now. There’s likely to be a big demand for flights.
Is there a Rosh HaShanah Seder?
A typical Rosh HaShanah dinner is a family gathering, with perhaps a few close friends or special guests. The emphasis is on enjoying good seasonal food and possibly some Israeli wine. There are no hard and fast rules about what dishes to serve at a Rosh HaShanah Seder. Jews lived all over the world for the last two thousand years and adapted their costumes to local conditions.
Popular Rosh HaShanah foods include seasonal veggies like beets, pumpkin, leeks, and beans, and fruits like dates, pomegranates and apples. Ashkenazi families often serve gefilte fisch and lamb is also a popular choice. If there’s one iconic Rosh HaShanah food, it’s honey.
Israeli Honey for Rosh HaShanah
In the ancient Middle East, honey was one of the few sweet foods readily available to ordinary people. Any agricultural community could practice bee keeping and there were also wild bee colonies. Honey was prized for its sweet taste, versatility as a cooking ingredient, and a range of other uses. Beeswax was also an important item in the ancient world.
Israeli honey is one of the stars of the Rosh HaShanah table. People love to dip slices of apple in soft honey and it is also a favorite sweetener for a glass of tea after the Seder. Honey is used to bake Rosh HaShanah cakes and is an optional ingredient in a baked tzimmes dish. Apart from being a tasty addition to the holiday dinner, Israeli honey has an important symbolic place on the Rosh HaShanah dinner table.
In modern Israel, honey is a symbol of the bounty of nature, the miracle of Israeli agricultural development, and is also a small sign of luxury, prosperity, and well being. One of the best selling Judaica items is handmade honey dishes for Rosh HaShanah. In fact, a handmade honey dish can be used all year round. You don’t need Israeli honey either – you can fill it with any honey from a US supermarket or deli.
10 Best Handmade Honey Dishes for Rosh HaShanah
A handmade Rosh HaShanah honey dish from Jerusalem is a superb small gift to celebrate the Jewish New Year. If you have your own collection of holiday Judaica (Passover plates, Hanukkah menorahs, etrog boxes etc.) a Rosh HaShanah honey pot is a great addition.
Judaica honey pots come in all kinds of styles and materials. The typical image of a handmade honey dish is of a traditional silver vessel with elaborate Yemenite filigree and perhaps some enamel inlay for extra decoration. These traditional designs are still extremely popular, but are only a part of the 2022 boutique collections that are available online at ICOJ.
Modern designer honey dishes are handcrafted from brightly colored anodized aluminum and can include teflon coats or glass inserts for easy cleaning. Other modern designs feature enamel, glass, or come as part of a handmade Rosh HaShanah Seder plate. Styles include minimalism, art deco, and items influenced by Scandinavian and Eastern designs.
The Top Ten Judaica Honey Dishes
1. Silver honey dish with semi-precious stones
Style: Traditional Judaica
Artist: Avi Nadav
2. Silver honey dish with ornate tiger stone honey bee
Style: Designer Judaica
Artist: Avi Nadav
3. Silver and glass honey and sugar dish
Style: Traditional Judaica
Artist: Nissim Badosa
4. Paint palette shaped Seder plate and honey pot
Style: Modern Designer Judaica
Artist: Avi Nadav
5. Modern Silver Honey Dish
Style: Modern Silver Judaica
Artist: Sharon Apelboim
Israeli artist Sharon Apelboim designed this stunning Rosh HaShanah honey pot. It’s a superb item of modern silver Judaica, but the simple and functional style draws on older Middle Eastern traditions. This is a large honey pot that can also be used as a sugar bowl or candy jar and will look great on any dinner table. Although the honey dish is handcrafted from gleaming 925 sterling silver, the style is reminiscent of thrown clayware. If you like original and unusual designs, you’ll love this special two piece honey dish by Sharon Apelboim.
6. Sterling silver orange & red honeycomb dish
Style: Modern Silver Judaica
Artist: Avi Nadav
7. Sterling silver and enamel apple honey dish
Style: Modern Silver Judaica
Artist: Avi Nadav
8. Sterling silver honey dish with carnelian gemstones
Style: Traditional Judaica
Artist: Avi Nadav
9. Designer hammered aluminum honey pot
Style: Modern Designer Judaica
Artist: Avi Nadav
10. Art deco style aluminum honey pot
Style: Modern Designer Judaica
Artist: Avi Nadav
Rosh HaShanah is a really enjoyable holiday, but it’s just two days a year. The advantage of Rosh HaShanah honey dishes is that you can use them all year round. They are a must for your Shabat dinner table, and if you like a spoonful of honey on your oatmeal or breakfast cereal, you honey pot will be in constant use.
Buy Rosh HaShanah honey dishes online at ICOJ
All the Rosh HaShanah honey dishes for sale in the ICOJ online Judaica store are designed for robustness. Honey is a wonderful food, but it’s not the easiest treat to clean up. All our honey pots are either discreetly coated with Teflon, or contain a practical and stylish glass inner. You can use them every day, and keep them clean and sparkling with a minimum of hassle.
If you’re not serving honey, the honey pots make excellent sugar bowls, candy jars, and can be used for homemade jam, condiments and pretty much anything else. Rosh HaShanah honey dishes are beautiful and practical dishes that will last a lifetime – and will attract a lot of attention and admiration!
Be impressed by our entire Collection of honey dishes, which include a wide range of materials and designs, from modern and spectacular honey dishes to traditional and unique honey dishes.
Click here to see for yourself Our one of a kind Collection of Honey Dishes