Honey is used on Rosh Hashanah to symbolize hopes for a sweet new year.
A well-known custom is to dip apple slices in honey during the holiday meal. In many communities, challah is also dipped in honey rather than salt, extending the wish for sweetness into the traditional blessing over bread. The practice is especially associated with Ashkenazi Jewish celebrations, though customs vary among Jewish communities.
The symbolism is broader than dessert: Rosh Hashanah begins the Jewish year and starts the Ten Days of Repentance, a period focused on reflection, prayer, and hopes for a favorable year ahead. Honey’s sweetness makes it a natural food symbol for those wishes.
A common mix-up is naming the apple instead of the honey. Apples are often eaten with honey, but honey is the ingredient that specifically represents sweetness. The greeting “Shanah tovah umetukah” likewise means “a good and sweet year.”