Some of you may wonder at the relationship of pomegranates and Rosh Hoshana.  After all you may have known that apples are linked to Rosh Hashanah due to the significant symbolic routine of dipping the apple into the honey for a sweet new year.  So what does the pomegranate symbolize?  It’s really a twofold reason.  The first one being the fact that since Rosh Hashana  originated as a one-day yom tov/holiday.  This was changed all the way back and even in Eretz Yisroel two days of Rosh Hashana are celebrated.  Since the second day is still questionable if it is really a ’separate’ day we do may the bracha (blessing) of ’shechiyanu’-a blessing made for newness, but we try to have something ‘new’ to make the bracha on.  New garments are worn and ‘new’ fruits are put on the table on Rosh Hashanah.  Pomegranates were once considered a fruit that was ‘new’ in most places, and therefore even today it is still traditionally displayed with the fruits that are much ‘newer’ than the pomegranate.

The second connection between the pomegranate and Rosh Hashanah is all about the multiple seeds in the pomegranate.  On Rosh Hashana we use symbolism as a means to ask Hashem for a good year.  The many seeds found in the pomegranate is symbolic for ‘Sheyirbi Zichiyoseinu’ - loosely translated as our ‘good deeds should be multiplied’.

As you eat your luscious pomegranates this Rosh Hashanah - make it spiritual by knowing why you are eating this fruit.  Shana Tova!

Preparing to send a Shavuot gift?

 Flowers are the most intricate, beautiful creations.  Whether your viewing green shrubs or luscious flower gardens; it’s just heartwarming.  Thus a bouquet of fresh flowers is always appreciated by all nature lovers which includes a vast majority of people.  Most people will smile as they receive a sweet smelling bouquet, and they will spend as much time as they can ’smelling the roses’ quite literally.

Flowers play a significant role in Jewish tradition this time of year.  As the Yom Tov or Holiday of Shavuos or Shavuot draws close, many people are preparing for an abundance of blooming flowers, plants, and leaves to decorate their homes.  This practice or ‘minhag’ stems from way back to Matan Torah when the “Mountain of Sinai” bloomed overnight upon Hashem’s choice of a mountain for “Matan Torah’ - the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people. 

Yet, flowers do have a downside.  They simply die too quickly for us to really have time to appreciate its full beauty in bloom.  Some people have no issues with it and will just appreciate the bouquet as long as it is blooming.  Others will grumble as they receive the gift of flowers since they envision themselves throwing it out shortly.  Therefore many will prefer a blooming plant instead.  Plants do have a longer lifespan and are charming as well, albeit not as sweet smelling as flowers.

Of course you can also, “say it with a gift basket“.  Gift baskets come presented as beautifully as a bouquet of flowers and usually includes an array of food items and gifts.  All contents plus the container are things the recipients will enjoy.  For Shavuos gift giving you can expect a flower plant in the basket along with the traditional milchige delicacies.  Thus you may cover all grounds with one fine purchase.

So as you prepare to purchase your shavuos flower gifts, consider the recipients taste and desire!

The real question is, does anyone really have an appetite left after consuming all the goodies in the mishloach manot that keep arriving all day long?  After tasting all the delicacies in the various purim baskets that sit on your kitchen counter, you may find a decline in appetite for anything but junk found in the shalach manot.

On the other hand; after the consumption of sweets and starch all day, (unless you’ve received a vegetable muffin purim basket) your family may be starved for some a real traditional purim meal.  The meal is usually comprised of; scrumptious challah, fish-cooked or baked salmon, whitefish, or pike, meats - such as tongue or roast, and of course lots and lots of good wine.  Many people will add stuffed cabbags (meat stuffed into cabbage shells) to the menu as well.  The list of delicacies will vary.  And then of course, the best delicacies from every purim gift basket will make it to the table for dessert.  Check our list of dessert recipes!

What do you associate a teddy bear with?  Does it depend on the size, color, or texture?  Well, we’ve seen so many different reactions to teddy bears.  Some people seem to associate teddy bears with new babies, infants, and toddlers.  Others think of little children and their security clutches.  Yet, many other people seem to feel that no matter of your age, one can never grow tired of a comfy teddy bear. 

So, if you are looking to send someone a shiva call basket, and want something personal to make up for your actual visit; you may feel like adding the comfort of a teddy bear to your condolences gift.  I guess you’d need to consider the recipient as well.  Is the recipient from the school of thought that teddy bears are childish or that teddy bears are a sign of comfort.  That goes for gestures of get well and thinking of you as well.

It is very difficult to commiserate with a friend or relative in their difficult situation. However, sometimes you are just too far away geographically to come pay a shiva visit to them in person. A gift can express your truest emotions, in the form of a comforting basket to brighten their moment of pain. Many gift givers prefer sending a basket of foodstuff which they feel is the purest form of comfort. Others prefer a touch of comfort with a pampering basket of gifts. Whatever your heart tells you, follow it. Choose from our selection of Shiva Baskets.