Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse,
My first introduction to the Jewish Holiday of Tu B’Shevat was in Yeshiva Elementary School. In the middle of class, we were treated to what the teacher referred to as Bokser (Yiddish for carob or Charuv in Hebrew).
It was an exotic fruit we had never tasted before. We were told it was in honor of Tu B’Shevat, the Rosh Hashanah for trees. Besides the usual blessing on the fruit of a tree, we were instructed to make the Shehecheyanu blessing because it was something new we hadn’t eaten before. We gladly did so and then bit into this hard textured fruit, with its somewhat sweet and unusual flavor. It was a joyous occasion. After all, it was a break from the usual routine of mono
Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse,
The ubiquitous mask is a barrier to more than communicable diseases. It also obstructs one of the most basic means of communicating our regard for each other, the smile.
Just remember the excitement and joy of holding a baby and seeing that first smile. Who could help but smile back; it seems so natural, spontaneous and irresistible. However, as my wife informs me, it’s actually a conditioned response; ingrained in us ever since we were infants, when our own mothers held and lovingly gazed at us with a warm and endearing smile.