Jewish Holidays

The Chofetz Chaim said, "Because we are approaching the time of the Messiah, and we will soon have to destroy the seed of Amalek, we are going to need a lot of strength. You must therefore stay fit so that you have the strength to carry out this task."

Among Adar's unique traits is the fact that it contains opportunities for new beginnings as well as for conclusions. We find in this month both life and death, beginning and end. Birth and life on the one hand, loss and destruction on the other.

Do I recite this bracha when smelling a delicious cup of coffee or a freshly-baked pastry? After all, the coffee bean is a fruit, and the flour of the pastry is a grain, which is also halachically a fruit.

What Bracha do we make on fruit? What is fruit? What is a tree and what is not? More questions for Tu Bishvat and for everyday... and answers.