For many centuries, Jews have partaken of pomegranate seeds on Rosh Hashanah night, as one of the significant omens. “May our merits increase like the seeds of the pomegranate,” we say prior to enjoying the tart, crimson-colored seeds. (Just watch those white shirts and tablecloths – have you ever tried to get out a stain from pomegranate juice?)

  The question on everyone’s mind, of course, is, are there really 613 seeds in a pomegranate? It’s an intriguing folkloric notion, which stems perhaps from the well-known Talmudic statement that “even the empty ones among the Jews are full of mitzvos

We join Baltimoreans in mourning the petira of our beloved Rabbi Diskind, zt”l. Much has been said – much will be continue to be said – about his warmth, his kindness, and his profound contribution to the education of our girls. In his memory, we reprint this interview. Although it appeared 22 years ago, in 1991, the wisdom of Rabbi Diskind’s words still apply.

What could be more appropriate on a Friday morning than the aroma of Shabbos that greeted me at the home of Rabbi and Mrs. Hirsch Diskind. The table was set, the candles ready. The house

To the novice gardener, the title of this article may sound overly extreme – really, how bad can it get? To the seasoned gardener, the answer is: intense. There’s a war going on out there between you, the gardener, and all the potential enemies that will conspire to take your vegetables away before they can make it to your table! In this article, we’ll discuss some strategies for winning some of these battles, and, hopefully, coming out on top with a successful crop of delicious homegrown vegetables.

The Case of the Missing Eggplants
Let’s start off with a story,

When I hear of people who have decided to change careers, I really relate. Those of you who know me as a writer for the Where What When and other Jewish magazines probably don’t realize that I was supposed to be a health care administrator. Soon after I finished graduate school, however, I decided to pursue my passion for writing – which I have felt since I was eight years old – and combine it with my fascination with the medical world. Rather than work in a hospital, as I had planned, I embarked upon my literary career – first

Is there a Yid who doesn’t know the meaning of the word “tsoress”? If you are such a person, “hats off” to you! Simply stated, the meaning of the word tsoress is troubles – but it isn’t that simple!
  Tsoress can be categorized into groyseh (big) tsoress, gehakteh (medium) tsoress, klayneh (small) tsoress, and teefeh (deep) tsoress. Regardless of its category, tsoress is referred to as “tsoress oyf kahpawress.” (In other words, we need it like the chicken needs what happens to it after being whirled around our heads before Yom Kippur.)

  Nu, you may ask, how do

As my fellow writer Margie Pensak mentions in an article in this issue, the average American changes jobs between 10 and 15 times between the ages of 18 and 44, and may change careers between three and seven times. But why? What makes people face the uncertainty of a new job or go to the bother of learning new skills altogether? Mrs. Pensak mentions some of the many reasons, but I thought it might also be interesting to discuss what’s involved in various jobs, including self-employment. What aspects of a job give the worker a feeling of satisfaction? Obviously, this

At the beginning of Rav Dessler’s essay on free will (Kunteras Habechira), he talks about a cigarette smoker. This person already has respiratory problems, and knows that smoking will only make him feel worse, immediately and in the long run. Yet he convinces himself that he will have only “one more” and then stop, a strategy that has never worked for him in the past and does not work now either. How does the smoker do it? By wrapping himself in a haze of willful blindness, in which state he can do what he wants and ignore repercussions.

  It