A Sweet -- And Sustainable -- Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is a time reflection and renewal, of contemplating purpose and recommittal to prayers and practices that honor the tenets we hold dear. Tshuva ("to return") is a process of becoming more ourselves, of identifying what makes us great or unique, and connecting our lives to that core.Part of that core during Rosh Hashanah involves the holiday table: challah, apples, honey, fish—symbolizing the desire for a sweet year, blessings and abundance. Food is a direct connection to the earth, and a tangible product of Creation we bless and eat every day. As you sit at your holiday table, consider the link between your bounty and the earth from which it comes.Sarah Newman writes in her article "A year of learning Torah through food ":"For me, food becomes holy not only through the blessings we say, but also by how we grow and prepare it. How can we eat things that are certified kosher when their ingredients, one could argue, aren’t even made of actual food, but are unpronounceable manufactured chemical creations? Are such foods really worthy of a blessing, much less of our consumption? Is this sustenance?"Newman argues that both cooking and eating can be "spiritually elevating" processes, elevating both us and the world through the choices we make. She goes on:“The Talmud states (Sanhedrin 37a), ‘Each person must say, 'The world was created for me.' Rebbe Nachman explains this to mean (Likutey Moharan I, 1:5), 'I am responsible for making the world a better place.'"Consider this Rosh Hashanah how your small (or even large) choices can create a earth-honoring new year celebration:1. Pick your own organic apples. Find a Georgia farm near you, and go pickin' with the family!2. Avoid mass-produced honey. Choose local, raw, organic honey. Bonus: it can help quell your seasonal allergies!3. Drink organic kosher wine. This list from Hazon is a good resource when looking for "green" wine.4. Buy local food. Round out your meal with produce from your local farmer's market. Make challah with apple cider and dried apple pieces, slip pieces of acorn squash (in season now!) into kugel, or pair warm barley with apple, spinach, and sharp feta cheese.5. Decorate sustainably. Use the extra apples from your bushel in a bowl as a centerpiece, or use potted flowers to brighten the table. If you have candles, make sure they're soy or beeswax.And as you sit gathered at the table, talk about what your faith community can do to renew its commitment to Creation, whether it's through an energy audit to use the earth's -- and your budget's -- resources more wisely, or a waste audit to ensure the trash you produce has the smallest impact possible on our burgeoning landfills.Be encouraged by the good work being done by those around you as you look toward the new year, and L'shanah tovah tikatevu!