Dei'ah veDibur - Information & Insight
  

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26 Shevat 5760 - February 2, 2000 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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HOME & FAMILY

Your Medical Questions Answered!
by Joseph B. Leibman, MD

I'd like to discuss what to expect in each kind of examination that a patient may undergo.

Regular X rays do not hurt, of course. Shielding is often necessary, which is a heavy lead robe worn over areas of the body that could be affected by radiation. Most X rays give off little radiation, but shielding is always a good idea.

They All Return to You
by N. Beer

[Synopsis: A Jew acknowledges his paternal heritage, morasha kehillas Yaakov, when he gets up each morning. Torah is there for the taking. This story shows the unifying power of Torah, and how it can transform lives. We have briefly met R' Feivel Kalmanovitz, the widower pensionnaire, Yaakov Shafer, the supermarket manager, and his yeshiva dropout helper, seventeen-year-old Motty, and R' Zev, who gives the daily Daf Yomi shiur. We carry on with...]

Everyday Peace
by Ita Schneider

Peace. A simple enough word, but the meaning behind it and how to attain it is not as simple as it sounds. When people in the media talk about peace, they're generally referring to the Peace Process and Peace Talks. The possibility of non- Torah-oriented policy makers playing around with our boundaries and perhaps the safety of our people makes me cringe at first thought.


Pre-School Education
by A. Ross, M.D. in Speech and Education

Many young parents do not realize that a child begins his education as soon as he is born. Mothers speak to the children and automatically adapt their tone of voice and vocabulary to suit the age of the chid. In fact, this way of speaking has a name. "Motherese" or "Tinokit" is the way we speak to very young children.


Do It Yourself -- With Yosef Krinsky

One can sometimes do a far better cleaning with ordinary household substances than the latest "super 2000 ultra products." Household vinegar, for example, is one of the best cleaners for plastic and aluminum products, including Formica, doors, and previously shellacked woods.

What's Cooking?
Avocado Season

by Chedva Sternfield

Did you know that avocados were one of the foods astronauts took along on their space flights? They are an invaluable source of unsaturated fats and are very high in protein and many minerals and vitamins. Avocados should never be cooked, however.

Poet's Corner
A Million Piece Puzzle

by Noga Cohen, Jerusalem

When I turned barely three
My mother bought a puzzle just for me,
It had eight pieces that fit snuggly and tight,
It satisfied, stimulated
And suited me just right.

*

Each year she bought me puzzles,
More complicated than before,
Twenty, fifty, one hundred pieces,
And then, even more.

*

By the time I grew up
I'd exhausted every kind,
I needed a puzzle of a million pieces,
To challenge my skill, my mind,
Because the simple satisfaction I'd felt as a child,
Was now left behind.

*

So I looked around, I started to ask,
Was there anyone who could help in this formidable task?
"I think I can," I heard a friendly neighbor proclaim,
"You're not alone in your search.
Many others feel the same.
Don't put in a special order,
Don't check every store,
Because finding this puzzle
Involves much, much more.
You have to pray before you find
That ultimate puzzle to challenge your mind."

*

I stood there and prayed, as she had advised,
But no incredible puzzle appeared before my eyes.
"Allow me to explain -- this puzzle does exist.
Sounds incredible, but it's a fact, I insist!
It comes in a variety of styles, shapes and hues,
But, perhaps, I've already provided enough clues.
Well, here's another, to help you see the light:
Each of the million is able to stand upright.
Each intricate piece has many a part,
A body, a soul, a will and a heart.
It breathes, it thinks, it creates, it shares,
It even grows, it learns, it loves, it cares."

*

"Say no more," I said, "your hints are so clear,
Each one of the million is a person who's dear,
Who needs to be loved and to be appreciated,
It's a unique human being, for a purpose created.
It's `they' and `you' and `he' and `she,'
But most important of all -- this puzzle is `ME.'



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