A Great (Pre-Purim) Date

My original title for this post was "A Date to Remember" but that was too ambiguous. It could have been referring to our recent Tu b'Shevat feast (at which I did not serve dates) or to various important dates that we celebrated in January and February - including my birthday and Bill's and our wedding anniversary, all happy and meaningful,

thank G-d. But the "date" I really had in mind is the Rosh Chodesh date that has become a tradition for my husband and me.

The custom began when we lived in Israel and Rosh Chodesh (the first day of each Jewish month) seemed the ideal time for us to get away from it all (read: the kids) and spend some quality time together over dinner at a favorite restaurant after a visit to the Wall - or vice versa. (It was always difficult to decide which to do first - on the one hand, I didn't think I could concentrate on my prayers if my stomach was growling with hunger. On the other hand, how could I beseech the Almighty for my many needs on a stomach-full of "abundance"?) Whichever the order, it was always wonderful. Our Rosh Chodesh tradition has continued here in chu"l (outside the Land) - sans Wall, of course - and although the kids are getting away from us a lot more these days than we need to get away from them, there's still much to be said for that special time together "out on the town".

Our most recent date was to welcome the month of Adar, the month in which the holiday of Purim falls and the month designated as the happiest one on the Jewish calendar. In that spirit (and with photo credits and thanks once again to Toby at "A Time of the Signs"), I would like to present the Rosh Chodesh Adar date that Bill and I might have had as new olim (immigrants to Israel) being guided by the "English" ads, signs and what-not around Jerusalem. Be sure to read all the fine - or not so fine - print!

In preparation for our special evening out, I might have had to wash a sthocking (yes, sthocking) or two in this amazing 21th Century (yes, 21th) invention:

Meanwhile, Bill - wanting to look his best for our date - would surely have stopped on his way home from work at the local hair saloon:

...where they serve gin and hair tonic while you wait and offer a variety of shampoos on tap.

At last, we'd be on our way to our favorite restaurant where we'd have a choice of three different chicken spellings:

Dessert? Well, we usually do not go off our regular American diet:

(None of that Atkins or South Beach stuff for us!) But who can resist the temptation of:

After dinner, we'd go to the Wall to thank Hashem for all His blessings - not leastly, one another. If we didn't have each other, we might be forced to find our dates at:

"You are not alone?" Not quite sure how to answer that question. Visit Toby's blog where every word comes through loud and clear. Then again, you might be better off not reading every word in this ad...

When I Remember our Rosh Chodesh dates in Jerusalem, there are no errors of spelling or syntax. But I'd give up the good grammar in a snap to be having our Rosh Chodesh dates back in the holy City. Hope to see you out with your spouse at a fine restaurant there soon. Meanwhile, best wishes for a Happy Purim and a continued joyful month of Adar!

P.S. I love it when I'm coincidentally in sync with friends and fellow bloggers. Click here to read Ruti's recently published non-Purim perspective on dating your spouse.