Author: Manny Kagan

On the eve of September 24^th, Jews (and their friends) will start the celebration of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, which is celebrated for two days. Since Jewish holidays are celebrated according to the lunar calendar, this year, the holiday falls on September 25^th and 26^th. Jews who follow tradition, will spend time in the synagogues praying and listening to the blast of the Shofar—a rams horn, to commemorate the sound of the horn which emanated from the thick cloud on Mount Sinai, when the former slaves received their Ten Commandments.

According to tradition, this date also commemorates the birth of the first man, Adam, 5775 years ago. (Some might find significance in the year’s reversible number). But what size does the birthday cake have to be to fit 5,775 candles? To solve this problem and show that the year is round and is expected to be sweet, the event is celebrated by dipping slices of an apple into honey. There are other reasons for the apple’s symbolism on Rosh Hashanah; some of which I mentioned in last year’s “The Good News”. Last year to find images of apples to support my story, I went to the farmer’s market. This year, I wanted to have a different experience.

We were on vacation in Arnold, CA, in Calaveras County (also the topic of my past two newsletters), and I thought about this “small” problem and as it often happens in my life (I am sure in yours as well, if you pay attention), the solution came by itself. In the mornings, I would go for a walk. Our timeshare is located in an area called Mountain Retreat.  It looks similar to the area surrounding Lake Tahoe, but with a much smaller lake. Our two-bedroom condo is located in front of a golf course, which is surrounded by huge, empty vacation homes.