Dear Reader – Tishrei 5772

Our Sages tell us that gold and silver were only created to beautify the Tabernacle and the Holy Temple. Likewise, Chassidus teaches that everything in this world should be used to promote holiness. The Zohar, in Parshas Noach, explains that right before Moshiach comes there will be an abundance of new technology in the world.

Today we live in a world where we see these prophesies coming true as amazing technologies become part of our everyday life.

Most adults today were born into an era that did not know of cellular/mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, or even laptop computers! In the short span of one generation, look how much the world has changed! In 2009, smartphone sales reached 172.4 million units and Apple recently announced more than 200 million iOS devices in use with over 15 billion app downloads. Google reports 135 million Android phones currently in use and there will be an astonishing 1 billion smartphone users by 2013. I think it’s clear that Moshiach is just around the bend.

It is mindboggling to think that a little hand-held device that can easily be slipped into a shirt pocket has the ability to connect and talk to people across the globe, access information about almost everything in seconds, and even connect by video conferencing. With ease of use combined with the many Torah applications (apps)—from Hebrew calendars to Kabbalah and Chassidus—one can surely say that these smartphones are spreading G-dliness to all corners of the world.

The OK has always been on the cutting edge, fusing Halacha and old world traditions with the latest available technology. From custom-made computer programs in the late 1980s to the most comprehensive kosher programs available today, the rabbis at the OK are able to have greater control and understanding of our kosher certified products, offering clearer transparency to all kosher consumers.

During the past year, the OK has taken technology to a whole new level, from short online in-depth kashrus videos explaining kosher concepts on Torahcafé.com, to using social networks and instant notifications for the things you want and need to know about the latest kosher news and developments. The OK has developed smartphone apps for iPhones, iPads and Androids, apps that thousands of people use daily, at home and on the go, to teach one how to rid vegetables of the most common infestations, or instantly tell if a product is Cholov Yisroel or Pas Yisroel right there in the supermarket.

Join us on Twitter and Facebook and check out our Vegetable Checking Guide and Kosher Food Guide in the App Store and Android Market and see how the OK is making the world kosher in more ways than one.

With best wishes for a good and healthy new year, with good use of the latest technologies.
Rabbi Chaim Fogelman
Editor-in-Chief