ROSH HASHANAH EDITION 5782 SECTION A PAGE 2
Adages, idioms and clichés are all part of the way we communicate, even if they aren’t all strictly true. Take “The darkest hour is just before dawn,” conveying that when things seem hopeless, something better is on the horizon. Never mind that the darkest hour isn’t actually before dawn; it’s still a great sentiment. (What I have noticed following early morning weather is that the coldest hour is just before dawn, though it doesn’t have the same alliterative ring.)
Another one is “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” Different climates bring different critters. In Switzerland, if you leave fresh food out, fruit flies seem to spontaneously generate. After consulting Google, I learned of the home remedy of filling a glass with vinegar (not honey!) to catch these pests.
The honey-vinegar debate is especially relevant right now. At Rosh Hashanah and the ensuing fall holidays, honey becomes a regular feature, used for dipping challah and apples, symbolizing our hope for a sweet upcoming year. Indeed, according to Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, a compendium of Jewish law, some have the custom to avoid vinegary foods, again as a symbolic gesture hoping for a year that isn’t filled with sour or bitterness.
I understand and respect the symbolism, but to avoid pickled foods for a month would be impossible for me. I also wonder whether seasonality helped this particular minhag come into being. Late summer, early fall are when the harvest is plentiful, so no need for preserved foods quite yet. But it is when homemakers start putting up pickles and preserves for the upcoming, less plentiful months.
The symbolism of honey and vinegar is clear, and while the literal meaning of the adage is not correct, its substance is: You’ll win more people over by being sweet (or kind) than acerbic. It’s a good lesson to take into Rosh Hashanah, even if I reflect on it while munching on a crunchy, vinegary pickle.
Shana Goldberg may be reached at shana@ijn.com
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