flower image : Hidden Fruit
It's the last day of the Hebrew month of Nissan. On this breezy, spring day, the sun shines down on us and the small, newly budded branches rustle. We are walking around my neighborhood in search of a fruit tree. Today is the last day to recite a blessing, whose opportunity comes only once a year--the blessing on a fruit tree that has begun to bud, which can be said only in the month of Nissan.

Given the vicarious weather patterns in Toronto, it's not every year that our search for a budding tree in April is successful. With our mild past winter, though, we are hopeful.

About a block from my home, we spot it.

My children excitedly inform me that they remember how the small, aromatic red and green apples swelled from this tree’s branches last summer. We examine the tree closely; the little flowers that will soon turn into sweet, juicy fruit are discernable

By Chana Weisberg