Blessing on new fruits

One of the oldest women in the community is a 90-year-old who was blinded during a Russian operation on her eyes.

I went to visit her a while ago to ask her what she remembers. We had a long discussion, party in Yiddish, in which she told me that her father was a religious Jew during Soviet times. She mentioned that she missed Shabbos chicken soup and cholent.

So yesterday we took our leftover cholent and soup from Shabbos and went over to her house.

We gave her some of it and spoke some more, trying to cheer her up, and telling her what life is like now in Stavropol, and the bright future awaiting the community.

She was really happy.

As we were leaving she sent her housekeeper (paid for by her children) outside to her backyard. Her housekeeper returned with fresh lillies for Chayale. Then they showed us the backyard, which, due to the fact that we in an area which is among the best, most blessed land in the world, is full of stuff.

A budding apple tree, some onions (which she pulled out the ground and gave to Chayale), and tons of flowers and fruits.

Suddenly Chayale remembered the Mitzvah of making a Bracha on new trees in Nissan. Cool, huh? on the LAST DAY OF NISSAN we wound up in someones backyard.

We didn't know the Bracha and didn't have a Siddur with us, so we had to call Rabbi Edelkopf in Sochi, who told us over the phone.