Apple Picking Ripens Awareness to “Leave the Gleanings”
An annual fall outing to the apple orchard is a fun way for families to kick off the New Year. The tart, juicy apples are as crisp as the autumn air, and with each bite I taste the new season. Whenever I go apple picking I feel like a kid again. I also seem to lose my table manners. Where else can I gnaw on a piece of fruit and nonchalantly drop the rotten core at my feet? Likewise, I abandon all sense of safety when I ride the bumpy tractor-pulled wagon and fling a half-eaten apple across the gravel road. Continue reading
Women’s Groups Appeal to New Generation of Volunteers
In the good old days, motherhood and sisterhood went hand in hand, especially in the Jewish community. Going back to the World War II era, many women joined forces to benefit a single cause. When they weren’t plucking pinfeathers from kosher chickens, many of our grandmothers and mothers gave their time and talents to a variety of philanthropies, from the Jewish Special Needs Society (JSNS) to auxiliaries of every kind.
These women paid their dues, literally, and they also developed lifelong friendships and provided a vital link to the Jewish community. Continue reading
Children Teach Parents Lessons in Life
As parents, we are our children’s first teachers. Never mind the fact that I haven’t understood my son’s math homework since he was in third grade. However, when it comes to life lessons, such as teaching the value of helping others, Judaism takes our responsibility as good role models very seriously. In fact, the Hebrew word for parents, horim, shares the same root word morim, which means teacher.
Still, I have to admit that the roles are often reversed in my home, and my kids are the teachers who show me what really is important. I just have to keep my eyes and ears open at all times. Continue reading