Download the Sheets Recorded at OU Israel’s L’Ayla Rosh Chodesh Nisan 5779 Women’s Event sponsored in memory of Mrs Linda Pruwer-Brachfeld, מרת חיה סאשא בת ר’ יוסף הלל.  

One of the scariest aspects of parenthood is the realization that we can never be sure what messages we’re sending our kids. We might make sure to have Conversations, we might consider what want to impart to them. But however much thought we put into it – communication is a two-way street, and it isn’t

As we approach Purim, the focus of the days immediately preceding the holiday becomes the long history of the relationship between Amalek and the Jewish people. Beginning with the few pesukim comprising Parshas Zachor, we remember Amalek’s original attack on the Jewish people shortly after the Jews left Egypt. Then, we read the less famous

Why do we eat latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly donuts) on Chanukah? The common, short answer is because the holiday of Chanukah largely revolves around the miracle of the oil but, perhaps unsurprisingly, there’s more to it than that. It would appear that the original Chanukah food was a fried cheese pancake, combining the

Somehow, this time of year is reminding me of two conversations I had with my oldest when she was much younger. They might not seem to be connected, but I think they are. (I share them here with her permission.) One conversation occurred right around when she lost her first tooth, and it’s brought to

Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, known as the The Kedushas Levi, once walked into his Bait Medresh and saw a few of his students discussing something with a sense of yearning and jealousy. As he approached the group, they quickly quieted down, acting as if they were engrossed in their learning. The Kedushas Levi inquired

Responding to a question submitted to Jew in the City, Rabbi Jack Abramowitz tackles the issue of balancing the observance of mitzvot (particular ones that involve fire or heating up food) with taking proper safety precautions in our homes. Read the full article on Jew in the City View the FDNY’s guide to fire safety

“The lion has roared, who will not fear” (Amos:3:8). “אַרְיֵה שָׁאָג, מִי לֹא יִירָא” The Shelah Hakadosh (Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz 1555-1630) suggests that this verse hints to this precise time of year. The word lion, aryeh, should be read as an acronym: Alef = Elul, Resh = Rosh Hashanah, Yud = Yom Kippur, Heh =

From OU Holidays! What are Hoshanos? Why do we say them? Why is the schedule the way it is? What’s “Ani Vaho?” Find out all this and more with this colorful, downloadable PDF!

Shlomo Horwitz is the founding director of Jewish Crossroads, an educational theater project that has provided creative Torah programming across the US, Canada, England and Israel. He studied at Yeshivat Shaalvim and Yeshivat Ner Yisrael in Baltimore, where he received ordination from Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg. Shlomo is a CPA and a director of a consulting