The Blog of a Junior of Zion

When my zayde (z”l) was being treated for cancer, there was a time that my dad had to call Hatzolah when it was Shabbat. He told me that not only did they respond quickly, THREE (3) paramedic units showed up at the door. Apparently they wouldn’t radio each other because that’s not part of pikuach nefesh, but by god they were going to get to my zayde to help him one way or another.

Actual absurdity tbh. One time when I was pregnant, I was having heart palpitations in the middle of the night. My husband called Hatzalah, and we both started changing from our pajamas into our clothes immediately after he hung up.

They are not random single mothers roommates, they are mother and daughter in law. Her husband died and she was left with her son, who died when she was asleep - the how is irrelevant- and she is now in an impossible situation.

Because her husband has no other childern, so according to jewish law she has to either marry his brother or do a specific ceremony called 'halitza' ro release her from that obligation. In order to do that her brother in law has to be at least 13 years old. And her only brother in law is a baby

Now if either her child is still alive or her husband has no living brothers then she is free, the surviving baby dying IS a solution, this is why that is her focus, she emphasizes the fact that the other woman's baby is the dead one before saying that hers is alive

I don't think it'll turn the public tide, but...for one of the biggest Israel haters to openly come out and have the balls to publish an article where they show exactly how and why they were completely in the wrong about Israel *despite* the publish backlash they will face is interesting.

ניסה גדולה תהיה פה I guess 🤷

jews:

Though correct me if I'm wrong.

Which I've always kind of loved and delighted in. It is also made for some very inserting discussions about certain fruits and vegetables in regards to which bracha you make on it because due to how it grows it changes the what bracha you make on it.

I think it is peanuts that is not the same bracha as all other nuts.

And I think strawberries also gets a different bracha then other berries.

I once knew this all by heart. My elementary school would do a bracha bee it was like a spelling bee, but instead it was what bracha for what food. Including after bracha. It was a good way to help teach us the brachas.

I was also taught to read the ingredients list of stuff to get the bracha. And that if the first one listed is sugar you go to the second one.

I went to an Orthodox school so it went for the stricter side of things.

It was for stuff like cereal I remember being taught that you look at the first ingredient and that is what you use as reference for your bracha.

Same thing for like a cookie or cracker and you aren't sure if is made from one of grains or something else so like you would look at the ingredient list for reference because it could use rice or almond flour or something else.

But that would not be as common in terms of the second example because usually if it is like cookie, cracker, or whatever that is using an alternative flour you would already know about that long before eating it. Because those are usually products that are made with to be like gluten free or like wheat free.

I remember being taught that was debate about french fries and that some hold it should be shehakol and some ha'adama and I of course could be misremembering.

I do remember at one point also somewhere in schooling maybe high school where we had a discussion about how what if you made the food so you know what it original was before it changed like if you make latkas you know that it was originally a potatoes who saw it change or you made the applesauce.

It was really interesting conversation and I think the answer was less about knowing about knowing what it was originally like applesauce has apple in the name and potato chips has potato in the name, but we still say shehakol on both of these because there is no way to look at this new form and see anything that can remotely be understood to be a fruit of the earth or a fruit of the tree.

Because if I gave someone who has only see an apple in its raw form a baked apple they would still be able to identify that is an apple same if I gave them apple as a dried fruit.

But if I made applesauce and gave that to them they would not be able to tell me that was every at one point an apple.

So funny about that so there is a cereal, Crispex, which is one side made of corn and one side made of rice and when I was younger I never knew which bracha I was supposed to make on it because the cereal is two sided so for the longest time I would make two separate brachas for each side of the cereal. Like I would the bracha for the correct side each just that side and then move onto the other side.

It wasn't till like years down the road that I either was telling someone about this or a friend saw me doing this and they were like no it is fine to just make a shehakol for the whole thing. Made eating Crispex way easier.

Often when I'm making brachas on various food stuff unless it is something where there is a thing about what bracha you make on it, it is very easy for me to forget just how much detail, thought, and conversation (and debate) is behind them.

It is not until I have these kinds of conversations that I remember that. Which gives me a deeper appreciation for both the conversation itself, the brachas, and for all those who came before who had these debates and conversation in order to establish the rules and foundations of the brachot.

Like it fills me such a love of our people, love of Judaism, love of G-d, and I'm just like where else would I find this. Like this stuff is so fundamental to being Jewish to me, this is a big part of Jewish culture to me, and I love it.

That you and I separated by G-d only knows how much distance are able to have this discussion about brachas for food and their application and this is the same conversation that has probably been had so many time throughout the years.

Unless you're thinking of a cereal that is oat and rice or something.

The blessing after it is different though. when I learned it in elementary school our teacher helped us remember this unique food with amen as acronym:

אורז מזונות נפשות

We are living in a parody

I think that was just a set up to make Richard "discover" the murder and feel like he figured it out himself, I wholeheartedly believe plan A was always to murder bunny

HELP