OU Kosher Presents Live Webcast on ‘Torah Approach to Illness

On the heels of the success of and feedback from previous OU Kosher webcasts to which thousands have tuned in worldwide, and in response to multiple requests for the OU Poskim to respond to issues and questions beyond the realm of kashrut, OU Kosher will present “Facing Illness: The Torah Approach” featuring OU Kosher authorities and senior halachic consultants Rabbi Yisroel Belsky and Rabbi Hershel Schachter. The webcast will take place Tuesday, December 4, at 2:00 p.m. EST. Those who wish to view the webcast live should log on 15 minutes prior to that time.

The program will take place at www.ou.org/webcast_kosher/.

In announcing the upcoming webcast, Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing, noted the many requests coming from previous listeners to OU Kosher’s webcasts “to have Rabbis Belsky and Schachter respond and comment on the many recurring questions and issues in all areas of halachic concern and practice affecting both the individual and community, as well as topics interrelating with kashrut.”

Topics that have already been suggested by listeners include: What issues in Shabbat and kashrut are addressed when facing illness? What kashrut issues are involved with chewable pills? I am a Kohen: can I ever visit someone in the hospital? Are all treatments permitted? Can I break Shabbat to treat the flu? A broken finger?

The webcast is part of OU Kosher’s continuing and ever growing educational outreach to the community, which includes:

· “OU Kosher Coming to Schools and Communities” program;

· The highly informative and entertaining Kosher Tidbits postings, now numbering close to 200 on OU Radio. Recently posted Kosher Tidbits include: “Does Kosher Apply Even to Food?” featuring Rabbi Dovid Bistricer; “Where There’s Smoke (or Vapor), There’s Kashrut” with Rabbi Eliyahu W. Ferrell; and “Ownership: A Halachic Mine Field?” presented by Rav Schachter.

The link for Kosher Tidbits is: www.ouradio.org/ouradio/channel/C301.

OU Kosher educational DVDs for home, schools, classrooms, synagogues and youth groups; the most recently released DVD, the sixth in the series is: “What’s Wrong With This Chicken?” featuring Rav Belsky.

Viewers of the webcast should send in questions before the session starts to Rabbi Safran at [email protected] or Rabbi Eliyahu W. Ferrell at [email protected]. Questions may only be submitted prior to the webcast.

{Noam Amdurski-Matzav.comn Newscenter}