Nisan ~ Apple תפוח tapuach

Apple blossoms coax us out of our winter retreat and welcome us to the communal orgy of spring. Though the apple we hear about in the Torah was likely apricot, apple has become a beloved fruit of the Jewish people and many of our traditions with apple bring to mind sweetness and blessings. Apple is another tree associated with the goddess of love, Venus. We associate apple with Nisan because of the legend associated with spring, fertility and the perseverance to make new life. The story goes that when the Pharoah in Egypt made the decree to kill Jewish children, the people with sperm got depressed and went out to the apple orchards, refusing to procreate. The people with uteruses collaborated with the magic of the apple blossoms to seduce them into having sex and making new life. When it was time to give birth they went into the orchards and the children were born there. They were then swallowed up by the earth suckled and protected until the sea parted and they were freed with their families. For this, apple has been forever revered as a positive symbol in Judaism.