Written by Edan Khanian

The celebration of Rosh Chodesh Nisan at Valley Torah was very different from other celebrations we did on other days of Rosh Chodesh. Usually on Rosh Chodesh, we would have a grand breakfast with bagels, cream cheese, and lox along with hot chocolate and donuts. This Rosh Chodesh Nissan there was no big breakfast or hot chocolate. After our first period of Gemara Shiur, we left the school and walked around the block to a specific house. This house had many visible blossoms. The reason we left to go to this house was because there is a mitzvah to see and bless a fruit tree which is blossoming in Nissan. Ashkenazi holds that they have the whole month of Nissan to make this blessing, while Sephardics hold only the first day of Rosh Chodesh Nissan one can make this special blessing. After we blessed the blossoming fruit tree, we headed back to the school to enjoy fruits from a fruit cart. Next to the sports court were fruit vendors handing out a variety of fruit that you could pick with different toppings. Some fruits that were offered were watermelon, pineapple, mango, cucumber, melon, coconut, and many more. You could also choose to have your fruit topped with lime, Tajin, or Chamoy.

This Rosh Chodesh activity was a great opportunity for students to bond. Many students bonded over the walk to the tree and over the food. A very important thing to remember is that schools should always encourage students to bond in person, socially. We should thank Valley Torah and the staff and Rebbeim for this incredible opportunity to allow students to bond.