HOME & FAMILY

Part I

I already had three small children at home -- two boys and a girl -- when I learned that I was expecting an additional child. I was just as happy as I had always been on hearing such news. A routine checkup in Hadassah Hospital revealed that I was expecting three children. But then a top ranking doctor notified me that the first diagnosis was wrong; I was expecting FOUR!

Bas Zekunim -- Youngest Daughter
by R. Chadshai

Bas Zekunim usually refers to the youngest girl born to older parents after a gap of several years. She has a special status in the family.

The Front of the Bus
by R. T.

"If you miss me at the front of the bus

You can't find me nowhere,

Come on over to the back of the bus

I'll be riding back there..."

Pa's Story
Beard and Trousers
by Sudy Rosengarten

The only beards you saw in the 1940s were those of the Smith Brothers on the box of cough drops... What girl would take a husband who looked like a relic from the Middle Ages?

Things My Children Said
by Drora Matlofsky

Mevaseret seemed to be a precocious child. She talked quite fluently at the age of year and a half and seemed to have intuited some grammatic rules. But I soon realized she didn't always understand what she was saying.

YERUSHOLAYIM OF YESTERYEAR
Buyer in Disguise
How Land Was Acquired for the Building of Nachlas Shiva
by Yisca Shimony

In these fearful times, it is the Arabs who impersonate Jews in order to perpetrate suicide bombings. Around a century and a half ago, one brave Jewish woman found it necessary to disguise herself as an Arab woman in order to purchase land.

Mother's Lentils
by Ruth Fogelman

Lentils, a Jewish food, the first dish mentioned in the Torah. Round, reminiscent of the world turning round in cycles of mourning and morning.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Readers,

No, this is not misplaced from our POETS' CORNER. It is a letter from the heart, and when the heart speaks, it sometimes turns to rhyme for more poignant expression.

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

There are some other pain relievers that are less used, but not without merit. There is a group called agents. These are antagonists that cause less sedation, and danger of breathing problems. These drugs are especially good in the elderly where erratic absorption may cause more side effects. Nubain and Subutrex are the Israeli names for examples of this class. In higher doses however, they behave exactly like other narcotics.

POET'S CORNER

A Better Perspective
by Esther Gimmel

I can look at you and see
A person gripped by jealousy,
So lazy, boastful, petty, too,
Many flaws, but merits few.

But then, I'm judge and jury, too,
Puffing ME up over YOU!

I'd rather look at you and be
Enjoying you, uplifting me.
I see your soul will never bend,
Striving for what has no end.

Inherent is your concern and care,
Your modesty and love to share,
I see you're full of things that shine
But can't fit into any rhyme.

What a happy thing to do:
The mitzva of loving every Jew.