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Even though I am someone who uses many different kinds of mobile technology every day in the workplace and for diverse forms of entertainment, I still often forget the ways that these devices can enhance other aspects of our daily lives. Take for example religious observance. I have been aware of bibles formatted for handheld devices as well as software actually designed just for reading scripture since I bought my first Palm Tungsten E. However, in recent months it seems that a bumper crop of software that can be used to enhance your own personal religious experience has been released for the iPhone/iPod Touch platform, perhaps stimulated by the holidays or hard times. I have seen a sudden spike in programs designed for reading scripture and the observance of holidays for Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Buddhists and most every other faith imaginable, but I admit much of my attention has been focused on mobile Judaica.

As a practicing Jew, I am especially pleased with software developed by a company called Rusty Brick for the iPhone. They produce iPhone versions of the Siddur (the standard prayer book), the Tefillim (blessings for all occasions), Tehillim (daily Psalms) and the entire Tanach (the Old Testament) for all major streams of Judaism such as Ashkenazi or Sephardic as well as specialized versions used by such sects as Chabad. The text is presented clearly and concisely in highly readable Hebrew. The software doesn’t just include the texts, but adds a number of tremendously useful tools for observant and Orthodox Jews. These include a calendar application especially designed to make the observance of Jewish holidays and the Sabbath easier, a location sensitive list of specific prayer times, nearby Minyanim (prayer groups), Kosher restaurants and more. The only drawback of the software is that the prayers and scriptures are in Hebrew only, without translation or transliteration (except for the Tehillim). That is not really a problem for most of their target audience, but it would be a nice feature to have.

The best feature of all I feel is what Rusty Brick calls Smart Siddur, in which only the prayers you need for that specific day are displayed. This saves you the trouble of keeping track of which prayers aren’t said during certain times of the year or on certain holidays. I always hate reading parts that should be skipped or vice versa and this feature solves that for me quite elegantly. Very very useful.

I can give my personal recommendation to Rusty Brick software. If you are looking for software tools to help you live a Torah observant life, then these may be just what your Rabbi ordered.

All Rusty Brick software is available from the iTunes App Store.