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Conference taveng::bagels

Title:BAGELS and other things of Jewish interest
Notice:1.0 policy, 280.0 directory, 32.0 registration
Moderator:SMURF::FENSTER
Created:Mon Feb 03 1986
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1524
Total number of notes:18709

272.0. "Only in Israel" by TAV02::LEVI () Fri Feb 13 1987 04:33

    For those who have visited Israel, the following may be familiar.
    
    Only in Israel
    
    - have an entire generation taught their parents the "Mother" tongue.
    
    - can a 48 year old Russian immigrant receive advice from his
      22 year old daughter about his upcoming army training.
    
    - will you meet an F-15  pilot (barely 19 years old) who has
      still not received a driver's license...
    
    Can anyone relate more?
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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272.1Only in...NONODE::CHERSONPost-ModemFri Feb 13 1987 08:358
    Hmm Levi, wasn't this note here before, and vanished?
    
    Only in Israel can you queue up in line sideways.
    
    Only in Israel can you go to a dentist, and have him/her ask you
    if you have no pain then what are you doing here?
    
    David 
272.2eh? I didn't do it!ZEPPO::MAHLERMotti the ModeratorFri Feb 13 1987 12:015
    I'll try again...

    - Can you be stoned by a rabbi.

272.3Strange occurrenceNONODE::CHERSONPost-ModemFri Feb 13 1987 12:425
    re:-1
    
    Oh yeh, than who did it?  In your reply was the same.
    
    David
272.4Who am I?CARLIN::MAHLERI drank WHAT? - SocratesFri Feb 13 1987 13:4011
    
    
    	myabe, it was, maybe,, it , maybe...... Him?
    
    	Her?
    
    	Hashem?
    
    Me?
    
    
272.5And maybe, it means...OBIWAN::SACHSSun Mar 01 1987 19:2311
    Only in Israel...
    
    	Levi's DOESN'T mean-
    		Rye Bread like mamma didn't mak, or
    		button fl jeans    
    
    	It can also mean a Rosenhand....Hi Levi!
    
    Mark (Moise Pippick) Sachs
    
      
272.6trees birthdays?CSSAUS::JOHANWed Mar 04 1987 01:284
    
    TU BSHVAT? do trees really have birthdays???
              
    R.J.
272.7It may seem strange, but there's a good reason:ULTRA::OFSEVITSold stock at 105...sighWed Mar 04 1987 12:5226
    re .6
    
    	Yes, indeed, trees have birthdays.  There is a religious law,
    derived from a commandment, that prohibits harvesting fruits from
    trees until the trees are a certain number of years old.  (I don't
    have the exact reference here, but the number is not relevant to
    this explanation.)  It's probably related to the laws of kashrut
    and is likely motivated by a similar "respect for nature" to prevent the
    abuse of immature plants.  In order to determine whether a tree
    is old enough to collect fruit, Tu B'Shvat came into being to serve
    as a common "birthday"� for all trees.  Since it comes at the beginning
    of Spring in Israel, it is a reasonable choice of dates.  (I think
    one explanation is that the olive trees start to bloom on this date,
    and olive trees serve as a benchmark because of their value and
    longevity.)
    
    	I got this explanation, which I hope I haven't garbled too much,
    from Rabbi Kieval of Temple Reyim in Newton, a few weeks ago--on
    Tu B'Shvat, in fact!
    
    		David

    � A strangely similar custom exists in the field of horse racing,
    where horses all are given January 1 as a birthday regardless of
    when they were were born during the year.  I think this is motivated
    to make record-keeping in this field more honest.