Dear Reader,
It has been written in Sefer HaM’-Ta’amim, that in past generations, when a calamity struck the Jewish community, every effort would be made to bury the town’s shaimos in order to arouse Divine Mercy. How relevant this is, in our times, with the calamities of terrorists striking Eretz Yisroel and abroad and the Israeli government threatening to give away parts of Yerushalayim, our holy city. Now, as we approach the holiday of Pesach, when Jews clean their homes from top to bottom and find piles of potential shaimos, we, too, can arouse Divine Mercy by properly disposing of our shaimos and learning how to separate what is truly shaimos, from that which can be disposed of or recycled. After months of grueling research, Rabbi Yosef D. Chanowitz put together an outstanding article, “Tackling the Mountains of Shaimos,” which delves into the history and halachos of shaimos disposal. Thank you, Rabbi Chanowitz, for writing such an incredible, in depth article!
Wine and Pesach go hand in hand. At the Pesach seder, we drink wine, the Jewish symbol of joy, to recount the great miracles that Hashem performed when He redeemed the Jewish people. The four cups represent the four expressions of redemption used in the Torah: “I took you out”, “I saved you”, “I redeemed you,” and “I took you for Myself as a People.” This year, at your Pesach seder, when you sit like a king, you can finally have kosher wine that is truly fit for a king. Join Rabbi Ahron Haskel, Executive Rabbinic Coordinator at OK Israel, on a virtual tour of the kosher wine-making process, as he relates the unique challenges to kosher vintners and the extraordinary effort made by OK Kosher Certification’s mashgichim to ensure that the quality and the kashrus of the wine is never compromised.
If you have medication that you need to take over Pesach, who do you ask about its chometz status? Your Rabbi or the manufacturer? The answer to this question might surprise you, you really need to ask your doctor! “Kosher Medicine Lists,” a feature article by Rabbi Levy, explains the complex issue of medications on Pesach and the importance of consulting your doctor and Rabbi together, without being unnecessarily stringent at the expense of your health.
Wishing you and your family a healthy, kosher & freilichen Pesach!
Rabbi Chaim Fogelman
Editor-in-Chief