Ima’s Here

Mine are three interlinked bangles, purchased from in-flight duty-free shopping by my husband with El-Al points he wanted to use before they reached their expiration date. I like to wear it on Shabbos; the tri-colored gold matches easily with any earrings or necklace. As I walk or wash dishes or serve they clink against each other and chime like bells.

One Shabbos afternoon, at our Ladies’ Tehillim group, I hear a faintly familiar sound. I trace the source, and behold, a regular from our group is wearing the exact same bracelet!

“El Al duty-free?” I ask her.

“How’d you know?” She’s amazed.

Smiling, I hold out my arm. “I recognized that sound from somewhere.”

“Yeah, they do kind of let people know when you’re around. Sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t wear them to shul, they might disturb people davening.”