HOME & FAMILY

We are created with five senses through which we experience the world: sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste. Unless you are a florist or a professional chef, taste and smell are going to be less important than the three others. For most people, sight, hearing and touch are their primary sources of experience.

On the Job
by Rosally Saltsman

"Tailor made . . . fringe benefits . . . lifetime contract . . . Boss available for meetings -- no appointment necessary"

LETTERS, FEEDBACK, EITZES

FROM the Editor:

We inadvertantly omitted the end of the article on "TO EACH HIS OWN BED," so before we get to a reader's comment, here it is:...

Reward and Punishment
by A. Ross M.A.; Remedial Reading, Education

When a baby is born, there is general rejoicing and celebration. Mother recovers, and life takes on its normal routine. Whether it is a first baby or one of many, Baby becomes part of the family. But he is still very vulnerable. When Baby cries, he gets picked up, whether by an older sibling or by his mother. When a three-year-old cries, the family is not always impressed. "What does he want THIS time," they might say if the child has been whining all afternoon. The same applies to an older child.

Stranded
by Sheila Seigel

Wednesday afternoon 2:15 p.m.

"Hello, is this Avner? This is Mrs. Feldman speaking. I am calling to confirm that you will pick us up at 4:30 on Friday afternoon. Yes, that's right, we're going to Beit Shemesh. Fine. We'll be waiting for you outside."

CREATIVITY CORNER
Geniza Storage Container
by Devora Piha

The Geniza Storage Container is similar to the Pach Shmitta containers we made a while back because they both hold objects of kedusha. The Pach Shmitta containers were projects that pointed out a practical means for raising the awareness of kedusha in the home. The arts/crafts projects reminded us of simcha shel mitzva since, as one reader wrote in, they give a boost to the mitzva and upgrade the child's awareness in the bargain.

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

Sometimes, you just remember where you were when certain things occur. I went to a summer camp where I was the only one not from New York and as such suffered a lot of kidding from my fellow campers. I remember being outside the camp dining room when one camper joked about some epidemic which was plaguing people in Philadelphia, my home city.

Tricking the Taste Buds
by Dr. Reuven Bruner

The fight against heart disease and the battle of the bulge for athletes and non-athletes alike has spurred the food industry to arm itself with new ordinance: fat replacements and fat substitutes. By mimicking the functions of fats and oils as ingredients in foods, these new products replace the real thing and fool your mouth into believing you are getting a high-fat treat. But in fact there is little to no fat in these foods.

Poet's Corner
Twilight Before Shabbos
by Naomi Bustan

It is twilight before Shabbos
In the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Holiness can be felt in the air,
Nature is expecting the descent of Queen Shabbos,
The first queen ever crowned
From the birth of the world, by the King of kings.

The sun, a huge scarlet-orange fireball
Is at its peak of beauty and power,
But knowing its Creator, bows its crown in submission
Before its disappearance over the horizon.

The tall graceful pines have ceased swaying,
They stand in awe, awaiting Shabbos' holy glow.
Ruffled, feathered sparrows perch on trees,
Chirping Hashem's praise in the pleasant breeze.

The Master of art has reserved His finest colors, and
For His favorite -- Shabbos, He dips His best paintbrush
Into a pool of emerald green and
Splash!
The treetops are gowned in their Shabbos finery.

Splash!
The ground and the rocks receive their
Weekly portion of beauty.
The colors of the wildflowers deepen
Pink becomes pinker, red turns into purple.

Anticipation! Excitement! In a matter of seconds...
"The Queen has arrived," whisper the pines
And bow ceremoniously to her majesty.
"...has arrived, ...has arrived..."
The news echoes worldwide.

The wind and the birds,
The trees and the hills
Welcome our Queen with sighs
Of happiness, and peace.