Nazir 9

Figs are delicious — dried, fresh, whatever. Yum! But nazirite vows aren’t about what’s delicious, but about what’s defined by the Torah. And Numbers 6:4 is very clear that a nazirite shall abstain from wine, grapes and any kind of intoxicant. It says nothing about figs. So the mishnah on today’s daf asks: What happens […]

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Can You Make Kiddush On Anything Other Than Wine?

Kiddush is a blessing traditionally made over a cup of wine that sanctifies Shabbat and holidays. Kiddush, which means “holiness” in Hebrew, is also recited at Havdalah and at lifecycle events, such as weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs and the bris.  When saying Kiddush over wine or grape juice, the blessing is: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱֹלהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ […]

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Breakthrough cancer treatment used for the first time in Israel

Doctors at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon successfully implemented a new treatment for pancreatic cancer this week.  The treatment, which had never been attempted previously in Israel, involved the injection of a radioactive substance called Oncosil into a patient diagnosed with advanced-stage pancreatic cancer. This innovative treatment is approved by the United States Food and […]

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