How Sweet to My Tongue is Your Promise, Truly Sweeter than Honey in My Mouth! Tehillim 119,103

On Rosh HaShanah we eat apples dipped in honey. This sweet combination comes from the Jewish tradition of eating sweet foods to express our hope for a sweet new year.

God gave the land of Israel to the children of Israel and referred to the region as the "land flowing with milk and honey". The term "milk and honey" was used to signify the abundance and prosperity of the promised land. However, the meaning of milk and honey (chalav u'dvash in hebrew) refers to the agriculture of the Land of Israel.

For Adonai your God is bringing you to a good land,

a land with brooks of water,

fountains and depths, that emerge in valleys and mountains,

a land of wheat and barley, vines and figs

and pomegranates, a land of oil producing olives and honey. - Devarim 8,8

Historians now believe that this verse from the Bible that mentions honey in the list of the Seven Species refers to date honey, not to the golden nectar produced by bees. Date honey is often mentioned in ancient sources and was produced by boiling the dates in water, straining them through cloth, and continuing to cook the resulting liquid over a slow fire until reduced to a syrup. Traditionally, date honey or commonly known as "silan" was made once a year after the date harvest in early fall, making dates (tamrim in hebrew) and date honey the first choice in celebrating the sweetness of a new year during Rosh Hashanah.

According to the scriptures, the date palm symbolizes flourishing life.

The righteous one will flourish like the palm tree, he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. - Tehillim 92,12

It was also used as a decoration in the sanctuary and a symbol of praise. Solomon carved the inner walls of the Temple with palm trees (I Kings 6,22) and the lulav made of palm fronds was used to praise the God of Israel during Sukkot (Vayikra 23, 40-42). Additionally, Yeshua received a royal welcome into Jerusalem with palm branches.

Dates and date honey have notable health benefits. Date honey has been gaining popularity as an alternative sweetener that can be used much in the same way as maple syrup or bee honey, that is, in desserts, baking and drizzled on pancakes. Commercially produced date honey still contains more minerals, particularly potassium and calcium, than many other sweeteners.

Prof. Michael Aviram from Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center and Technion- Israel Institute of Technology and Dr. Hamutal Borochov-Neori of Southern Arava Research and Development have been studying the health benefits of dates for some time. One published study proved that eating three dates a day does not raise blood sugar levels in healthy people, but it does reduce blood triglycerides and even “improves the quality” of blood cholesterol by reducing its oxidation. These effects reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and other vascular diseases, according to the study. Aviram said, however, that since dates contain a lot of sugar, they are not recommended for diabetics, and that they will not reduce blood sugar levels in this group.

In a new research study, the Israeli team found that dates can bring about the slowing and even regression of atherosclerosis (accumulation of fatty plaque) in the coronary arteries. The team reported that material in dates has the clear ability to speed up the removal of excess cholesterol from endothelial cells inside blood vessels.

A UK research study determined that date honey actually contains chemical compounds that help ward off a number of bacterial infections, including those caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

Hajer Taleb, a research student from Cardiff Metropolitan University in the UK, decided to test the effect of date honey produced in Basra in southern Iraq on colonies of bacteria growing in a petri dish. He identified that the date honey contained a number of phenolic compounds that form naturally in the date fruit as it matures. When the date honey was mixed with a range of disease-causing bacteria - including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa - it inhibited their growth in about six hours, which researchers say is faster than manuka bee honey, which is known for its antibacterial and wound healing properties.

Whole dates are rich in fiber, antioxidants, potassium, B vitamins and magnesium, and contain calcium and iron as well. Date honey lacks the fiber of whole dates but retains traces of the minerals. Studies done at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology found that polyphenols derived from dates help prevent the oxidation of LDL (“bad” cholesterol). In a study commissioned by Kinneret Farm, clinical dietician Merav Mor-Ophir found that pure date honey (without added sugar) is more than 30 percent lower in sugar content than white or brown sugar, and 20% lower in sugar than bee honey.

In addition, date honey is 30% lower in calories (14 per teaspoon) than white or brown sugar (20 calories per teaspoon). A US study showed that date honey has more antibacterial compounds than bee honey. Unlike bee honey, date honey is safe for kids under the age of two.

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Here is a simple recipe for Cinnamon Date-Honey Butter (dairy) that can be be used as a spread on challah that is guaranteed to sweeten your Shabbat meals.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of organic butter made from grass fed cows or goats

1 teaspoon of date honey (silan)

Dash of cinnamon

Directions:

Remove the butter from the refrigerator and allow to soften in room temperature. When the consistency is soft, add the date honey and cinnamon and stir until well blended. Serve with challah.