The small, humble bee has always loomed large in Jewish tradition. From the Torah describing Israel as a land flowing with milk and honey to the tradition of dipping apples in honey to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Judaism certainly appreciates the handiwork of these complex, tireless insects. Lately, science has come to understand the urgent importance of healthy bee populations, as well as feeding the world through pollination of plants and improving crop yields.
In fact, JewishBoston’s Miriam and Dan decided that beekeeping should be a new mitzvah and sought out two beekeepers—CJP staffers Brielle Berman and Cara Littlewood—to tell us more about how and why they keep colonies of bees and how they handle—with care—harvesting the liquid gold that is fresh, homemade honey.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
View the full transcript here.