#obaweekly

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Farewell Announcement, Gratitude, & What’s Coming Next

Dear readers, 

I am so grateful to each and every person who has read, liked, reblogged an article from, or followed Outreach by Adellah, extending a special thank you to everyone who shared that Outreach by Adellah had a real impact on their Jewish journey. I seriously hope that each and every one of you got something positive out of OBA. I’d also especially like to thank NCSY Central East for being the inspiration between Outreach by Adellah and each of its 80+ articles and for giving me the opportunity to speak at your 2025 Winter Regional Shabbaton.

However, all good things must come to an end, and unfortunately, I won’t be writing any more weekly articles for OBA. That doesn’t mean you should unfollow us, though! As a final farewell, I will be publishing a Jewish book which will likely be released sometime this year and which I will post - FOR FREE- on this @outreach-by-adellah Tumblr account. I sincerely hope you will stick around to read it.

If anyone has any questions, thoughts, or just wants to drop a message, please leave a comment on this post. I will respond to every single one. You can also still find me on Tumblr at @does-this-require-cyanobacteria and, if you’d like, on LinkedIn (also, Ben’s LinkedIn: Ben Schulman | LinkedIn).

Thank you for inviting me to be part of your Jewish journey. You were all a part of mine.

Love,

Sarah Adellah Menkes of Outreach by Adellah

P.S. 

Don’t worry, I didn’t forget our Jew joke!

A German Jew asked his rabbi, “Rabbi! Is it true that everything has an end?”

The rabbi pondered the question, then wisely responded, “Everything has an end. Except for the sausage, which has two!”

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#MitzvahChallenge

This week's mitzvah for the #MitzvahChallenge - in honor of the 10 commandments - is Lo Tirshach (do not murder)! You can submit a picture or story of yourself doing this Mitzvah to be eligible to win this week's contest!

Nobody's ever participated in the #MitzvahChallenge yet, so this should be an easy one for people to jump in and get started! In honor of Shavuot, we chose a really simple mitzvah straight from the 10 commandments that anyone should be able to perform!

Reblog this post with an example of the mitzvah for a chance to be featured in the next edition of OBAWeekly! Nobody's actually done this yet (still!!), so you could be the first!

Good luck preforming this mitzvah!

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Kavanah & Tefillah - Tips for Powerful Davening (19 Shevat)

Tefillah (prayer) is one of the most central components of the Jewish faith. It is a way for us to reach out to our creator, to thank Him for what He has given us and to ask Him for anything we still need. Hashem appreciates it deeply when we take the time out of our day to talk to HIm, and truly wants to answer as many of our prayers as possible, though sometimes in unexpected ways. So, if it ever seems like your prayers aren’t being answered, know that Hashem is still listening no matter what, but try some of these tips to get the ball rolling a little faster!

Start with Gratitude. Who would you rather do a favor for? Someone who starts their request with how grateful they are for the things you do for them, or someone who just asks you for something right off the bat? Probably the former, and Hashem feels the same way. Gratitude is of utmost importance in Jewish law. Our people’s name, Yehudim, comes from the same shoresh (root word) as the word for gratitude, so Hashem values gratitude very highly. He is more likely to answer the prayers of those who are grateful for what he does, as that is His way of teaching us to be more grateful. Therefore, next time you have a request for Hashem, you should start by thinking about all the blessings Hashem has already bestowed upon you.

Be Less Specific. Imagine that someone is davening to get into a specific university which has the highest rate of acceptance into medical school… but really their destiny is to be an artist. Hashem may not grant this prayer to be accepted into that university, because Hashem knows that this person’s true path lies elsewhere. If you are praying for something overly specific, the same thing may happen to you. Instead, be more broad with your prayers. If, in that situation, someone prayed to simply have a successful future instead of to get into a specific university, Hashem would get their art career started and grant them success quickly. Next time you are about to pray for something specific, pray for your end goal instead, and since Hashem always knows what you need, Hashem might take you there in an unexpected way!

Be Selfless. Selflessness is another Jewish value (perhaps the most important one in the entire Torah) which Hashem cares deeply about. It is a well known fact that davening is more effective when it is done for someone else. As such, it can be helpful to daven for things that benefit others, or to have your loved ones daven for you as Hashem is more likely to grant selfless prayers. This is also why your prayers are much more likely to be granted if doing so would help you fulfill a mitzvah. Hashem only wants the best for His people, and prefers those who feel the same way.

Daven Every Day. The best way to improve your relationship with anyone is to talk to them as often as possible, and the same is true for Hashem. Since the way you talk to Hashem is by davening, you should daven every day to become closer with Him. Just as you would be more likely to do a favor for a friend than for an acquaintance, Hashem also prefers to grant prayers to people who take the time to know Him more deeply. So, if you feel like your tefillah is not being answered, try to make a habit of talking to Hashem every single day. Besides, who could be a better friend than Hashem?

Take Action! There is an old Jewish story about a man who davened every single day to win the lottery. His davening was perfect! He expressed gratitude towards Hashem, and prayed with the utmost intention and extreme consistency! He does this every day for months, and eventually becomes upset with Hashem for not letting him win the lottery. Eventually, he calls out to Hashem, saying “what’s the deal? I’m a good Jew, I davened perfectly, I’ll donate some of the money as tzedakah, what more do you want from me!?” Hashem’s response? “BUY A LOTTERY TICKET!”. You see, you can daven and daven and daven for years, but if you never take any action towards achieving your goals, nothing will ever happen. So, buy the lottery ticket! If there’s something you’ve been davening for for a long time and it has yet to come true, you need to be the first one to take action to get it done. 

If you take the time to put all of these tips into action, not only will you strengthen your relationship with Hashem, but you will also be practicing some of the most important Jewish values. If you become a grateful and selfless person who is deeply connected to Hashem, you will not only be a better person, but you will have the added benefit of getting more of your prayers answered!

Tell me in the tags: Do you have any other advice for more effective davening? Do you have any inspiring stories to share of your prayers being answered?

Jew Joke:

I would drop to my knees twice a day begging Hashem to do anything that would make my life easier. 

So He gave me knee pads. 

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Kavanah & Tefillah - Don’t Use Your Phone as a Siddur!

In our modern world, we use our phones for just about everything. From work to entertainment to shopping to dating, and much more, our phones are capable of just about anything, and Judaism is no exception to this! There exist many amazing Jewish apps online, including apps for checking Kashrut, counting the Omer, and even Jewish radio stations! However, the focus of this article will be on one particular type of Jewish app: the electronic siddur.

Siddur apps are amazing! They contain every single part of davening and often much more, such as translations in multiple languages, prayer times, and real-time updates with what to include or not in your prayers (e.g. seasonal blessings). These are an amazing resource for new learners or for people who forgot their siddur at home and didn’t memorize shakharit (I can’t blame you!). In fact, there is really only one place where I would encourage people not to use a siddur app. Unfortunately, this seems to be the one place they are used the most!

Don’t use your phone as a siddur in shul, where you have a choice between a physical prayerbook and your phone. Phones are distracting and known to impair reading comprehension, whereas the stimulus of touching a physical book is shown to improve concentration and understanding, making your davening better!

According to a 2016 study by Lauren Trakhman and Patricia Alexander, although people read faster when reading electronically (which isn’t a positive while davening. It’s better to take your time), their reading comprehension is much shallower. In an area like davening where understanding the deeper meaning behind the plain text is crucial, shallow reading comprehension is a huge detriment! Additionally, regardless of the task at hand, the mere presence of phones has been proven to reduce concentration and performance! Therefore, if you can, putting your phone out of sight while davening can help you put everything aside from Hashem out of mind, just as you should be aiming to do!

` Sometimes, siddur apps are the only option. In these cases, they are a fantastic resource for those who rely on them. Any davening is good davening, especially when the alternative is “leaving Hashem on read”. However, when you do have the choice, try to reach for a paper siddur instead of your phone. You never know how much your kavanah might increase!

Tell me in the tags: Do you usually use an electronic siddur or a paper siddur and why?

Jew joke: Rabbi, I can't turn my phone off during davening! I'm the 10th man in the Whatsapp group!

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Torah & More - Mishpatim: How Kashrut Sets Us Apart

In parshat Mishpatim (this week’s parsha), Kashrut is introduced for the first time, through the prohibition against boiling a calf in its mother’s milk. This commandment will occur two more times in the Torah and is the basis for the Rabbinic prohibition against mixing any dairy product with any meat. Although plenty of other cultures have dietary restrictions, none are quite like this one, as although banning specific foods is hardly rare (for example, even goyim don’t eat ants), banning a mixture of two foods is extremely uncommon. So, what is the significance of this key kosher law?

Every other culture that has a taboo against mixing foods together has a reason behind the taboo. For example, in Hinduism and Jainism, certain foods are not eaten together because doing so is believed to cause harm during digestion. Medieval Christians also believed this about mixing hot and cold foods. However, the Torah never cites a digestive concern behind the prohibition against mixing milk and meat. This is because Jews are the only people which have a prohibition against mixing foods for a purely spiritual reason (because Hashem commanded it) rather than a practical one. In fact, this can also be said about other kosher laws. It is perfectly safe to eat pigs, many insects, and birds of prey for example, but we don’t, and the only reason we don’t is because Hashem said not to. While most other cultures’ dietary restrictions are based on social taboos or health risks, ours are of divine origin.

So, when you refuse to mix milk and meat, you are not simply following the advice of your ancestors or trying to avoid adverse health effects. You are displaying the Jewish virtue of trusting in Hashem, even when it seems like there is no logical reason to. The reason the law against boiling a calf in its mother’s milk is stated three times in the Torah is to remind Jews as often as possible just how important it is to listen to all of Hashem’s commandments, even the ones that don’t immediately make sense; a lesson we can apply to all aspects of Jewish life.

Tell me in the tags: Are there any mitzvot you follow even though you may not understand the logic behind them? Are there any other lessons you can share from parshat Mishpatim? What is your favorite part of the parsha?

Jew Joke:

Congregant: “Rabbi, I almost broke kosher last night!”

Rabbi: “Oh no, what happened?”

Congregant: “I ordered a soup at a restaurant and almost forgot to tell them to hold the bacon!”

Rabbi: “B”H you remembered! What kind of soup was it?”

Congregant: “Clam chowder.”

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Jew Quiz - 17 Adar:

This week's Jew Quiz asks some interesting questions to determine which Patriarch/Matriarch of the Jewish people shares your personality the best! Find out which one you are here:

Are you Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel, or Leah?

(Credit to Shaicat101 on Uquiz for letting us use their Jewish quiz in this week's edition of OBAweekly!)

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Welcome to Outreach by Adellah

A weekly Kiruv newsletter which comes out Sunday at 9:00 EST! Every week, a post/article will be released in each of the following categories: Weekly Articles:

Kavanah & Tefillah - Lessons from our prayer books and tips for getting the most out of prayer.

Torah & More - Lessons from the weekly parsha as well as the rest of the Tanakh (Torah, Nevi’im, Ketuvim).

Throughout Time and Space - Jewish history and culture from all around the world.

Halacha Hayom - Finding ways to make Halacha meaningful to you today.

New You: Better Jew - Character building tips centered around Jewish values.

Fun Stuff:

JewQuiz - UQuizzes about Judaism.

Jew & A - Asking fun questions about Judaism and answering the ones you have.

#MitzvahChallenge - A weekly challenge to perform a specific Mitzvah. Post your mitzvah under #MitzvahChallenge for a chance to be featured in the next #MitzvahChallenge article!

Whether you've been frum your whole life and need a little boost of enthusiasm or you are interested in becoming more religious, Outreach by Adellah is for you! And don't miss the bonus Jew Jokes and questions for you to answer in the tags at the end of every article!

Hope to see on Sunday!

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Torah & More - A Time for Reflection: The Home Stretch of the Torah - 4 Av (Devarim)

This week’s parsha is Devarim, the first parsha of the eponymous final book of the Torah. This book begins 37 days before the death of Moshe, and ends shortly after he dies, recounting his character and legacy. The book of Devarim is truly the “home stretch” of the Torah, mostly composed of speeches from Moshe in the wake of his death through which he hopes to imbue the new Jewish people with wisdom before they settle the promised land. 

We always begin the book of Devarim on the Shabbat before Tisha b’Av, less than two months before the end of our year. After Tisha b’Av, the mourning period over the destruction of our temple will come to an end, and the season of repentance leading up to Elul and the Holy Days will begin. After this week, we’ll be entering the home stretch of the year, just like we’re currently entering the home stretch of the Torah.

However, just because something is the home stretch doesn’t mean you should sit back, relax, and wait for its ending. Quite the opposite! There are only 5 books of the Torah, and only 12 (or 13) months of the year. A whole book of the Torah or nearly two months of the year might be a short enough length of time to see what’s coming next looming over the horizon, but it’s more than enough time to make a difference in whatever way you can, whether it’s in your character in preparation for the season of repentance and judgment, in your community for the good of others, or in your yiddishkeit to further your Jewish observance.

The whole book of Devarim is basically one long motivational speech. Moshe’s parting words to us explain why we should choose to lovingly serve the G-d who brought us out of Egypt, and the endless rewards for choosing to do so. As such, we should take his motivation with us through the rest of this year, and do what’s right by us, our self improvement, our communities, and the continuation of our Jewish journeys. While we read the book of Devarim this year, make a commitment to take Moshe’s words to heart. Find ways to improve yourself in whatever faucet of life you may choose. One book of the Torah or a couple months of the year is the perfect commitment to growth; long enough to make some real progress, but short enough that the rewards you will reap for it are crystal clear over the horizon!

Tell me in the tags: What do you want to commit to working on while we read the book of Devarim? How will you work on achieving your goals in an actionable way?

Jew joke: I’ve decided how to improve myself while we read the book of Devarim. I will become much more strict in my Pesach observance!