Sweet traditions: The meaning of honey and sweets in Judaism.
Text: Michelle IslerSweet foods and sin often go hand in hand in everyday language. Jewish traditions offer a different perspective and show how enjoying sweet treats can be part of spiritual life.
Key takeaways
- Candies thrown at weddings and during Simchat Torah symbolize blessings and joy.
- At Rosh Hashanah, apples dipped in honey express hope for a happy and sweet year.
- At Passover, a sweet paste recalls the mortar used in forced labor while also symbolizing liberation from slavery.
A popular brand of chocolate markets itself as “the most tender temptation,” and people who dig into a dessert often describe themselves as having “sinned.” Sweet foods are inextricably linked with sin in everyday language, but examples from Judaism show that this needn’t be the case.
“Sweet foods are a feature of practically every Jewish festival,” says Alfred Bodenheimer, Head of the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Basel. At weddings, for example, a tradition of throwing nuts or candies at the bride and groom has existed since late antiquity. Likewise, during the Simchat Torah holiday, children in synagogues catch candies that adults throw from the gallery. According to Bodenheimer, the foods thrown on these occasions are seen as a symbol of a good life, blessings or joy.
Why honey marks a sweet start to Rosh Hashanah
Honey (“devash” in Hebrew) has an even longer and more theologically significant history. The word appears multiple times in the Torah, where it typically refers to date honey. For example, the Torah lists the Seven Species of Israel as wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives — and honey. At another point, God promises the land of Israel as “a land flowing with milk and honey” to the Israelites in the Egyptian desert.
Honey’s symbolic connection with prosperity and God’s blessing is not only apparent from these passages but can also be seen in practical terms at Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year celebration. Whereas, on the Sabbath, Jews usually sprinkle salt over bread as part of the traditional blessing, Bodenheimer explains that bread is dipped in honey at Rosh Hashanah and that this custom was attested over a thousand years ago by the religious leader Hai Gaon (939-1038), who lived in Babylon (modern-day Iraq).
“Later, Jews in Europe developed a custom of sharing out slices of apple before the meal, with each person dipping their slice in honey and saying a blessing to ask God for a happy and sweet year.” This blessing is found in all modern prayer books, “but even a great many secular Jews associate honey with the start of the New Year.”
Passover: Sweetness as a symbol of liberation
On the Jewish holiday of Passover, which marks the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt, symbolism is attached to apples, nuts or dates, depending on the region. These foods are made into a sweet paste that is eaten with a bitter food such as chicory or lettuce. On the one hand, the brownish paste is supposed to be reminiscent of the clay from which the Israelites were forced to make bricks as slaves in Egypt. As the sweet ingredient of the ritual feast, however, “the paste also symbolizes liberation from bitter slavery,” says Bodenheimer.
Sweet foods and spiritual life in Judaism
He also points out that there are, of course, many other Jewish festivals where sweet foods are now a regular fixture without there being any theological meaning to the sugar content — from the jelly donut-like “sufganiyot” on Hanukkah to cheesecake at Shavuot, the festival of weeks. “In Judaism, there’s generally a close link between physical pleasures and spiritual elevation.” On the one hand, there is a directive to take care of your own body. “But as long as it’s not to excess, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying sweet foods.”
More articles in this issue of UNI NOVA (November 2026).