Before Apples and Honey: The ancient Date Palm and The Feast of Trumpets

The first of the Jewish fall feasts, Yom Teruah, or Feast of Trumpets, commonly known today as Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew for New Year) marks the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar.

In the bible, it is a holy convocation and appointed time for God to meet with his people. It’s a time for spiritual awakening, reflection, teshuva (repentance), and seeking God’s blessing for the year to come. The long-held modern custom of dipping apples in honey is symbolic of our prayer for a good and sweet new year.  But, in the bible, when honey (D’vash) is mentioned, it most often refers to the syrup from grapes and fruit trees. Of the 55 times it’s mentioned, the majority are metaphorical representations of wisdom, healing, the sweetness of God’s word and the promises of abundance.

The Land of Milk and Honey

Most biblical scholars agree that the word for honey in the infamous verse found in Exodus 33 describing a “land flowing with milk and honey” specifically refers to the syrup of fruit trees. Syrup from the Date Palm was very common in biblical times and was used to sweeten food and wine.

The Destruction of Date Palms Alongside the Destruction of the Temple

Date palms all but disappeared from Israel after the destruction of the temple, when Rome sought to destroy one of Israel’s strongest commodities at the time. By 500 A.D., the date palm was almost completely wiped out from the region.

In the early 1900’s, when Jewish settlers came to the land, date palms were sparse in contrast to biblical times when they abundantly covered the Jordan River valley between Jericho and the Dead Sea. Several thousand date palm saplings were smuggled into the land from Iraq by Ben Zion Israeli, a Ukrainian immigrant who made Aliyah in the early 1900’s. Those trees were cultivated and produced the Medjool date, commonly found in Western grocery stores today. There are other varieties, like the smooth Deglet Noor, golden Zahidi (also called the butter date) and the crunchy Barhi dates that can be found in the markets around Rosh Hashanah.

But, the ancient Judean date palm, once revered in antiquity for its vast medicinal qualities, has an incredible story of revival alongside the rebirth of the nation.

Over 2,000 years ago, at the edge of the Judean desert, thousands of feet above the Dead Sea on a rocky plateau, when the last group of Jewish rebels held out against the final Roman siege, a small clay jar filled with date seeds was buried under the rubble that was left there.

In the 1960’s, while excavating Masada, a Jewish archeologist discovered the jar of seeds dried out by two thousand years of desert surroundings. They were stowed away in a drawer at Bar Ilan University for forty years.

The Re-emergence of Silan to Israeli Culture

Commonly known in Israel today as Silan, this “honey” made its way back into Israeli culture in the 1990’s through Iraqi Jews and sits on the shelves in most Israeli kitchens. Silan has become increasingly popular in the U.S. over the past decade with domestic and professional cooks alike. Similar in texture and color to molasses, and lower in calories and sugar than honey, it’s quickly become a favorite for foodies. Silan can be mixed with tahini to make a sweet spread, used in marinades and vinaigrettes, and drizzled on oatmeal, scones, yogurt or ice cream.

The history of date palms over the last two millennia is as interesting as the story of Israel’s rebirth.

The Resurrection of the Ancient Date Palm

In 2005, Dr. Elaine Solowey obtained the seeds that existed from the time of Jesus and, contrary to what was considered botanically impossible, successfully germinated one. The seed sprouted into a young date palm, resurrecting what was thought to be dead for nearly two millennia.

The date palm was appropriately named, “Methuselah”. Methuselah represents a variety of date palms in ancient Judea that were considered a delicacy and thought to have medicinal properties absent in today’s date palm varieties. Seven additional kinds of ancient Judean date palm trees have been resurrected from the seeds found at three other archeological sites, including Qumran. The trees now grow in the Southern region of Ketura.

In August of 2021, The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Israel harvested three bunches of dates from the successful breeding of these trees that were wiped out thousands of years ago when the Jewish people were driven from their land.

From Ancient Beginnings to Modern Miracles

During the fall feasts, as we dip our apples into honey or silan, and reflect on the sweetness of God’s blessings, it should be nothing short of astounding to know that our God continues to bring dead things to life and makes what was once desolate fruitful again!

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103)

For a quick and easy “Honey” Cake on The Feast of Trumpets, try my Apple Cinnamon Scones with Silan!