Category: Science and Health

This week we begin reading the Book of Exodus, which tells the story of the Jewish liberation from Egyptian bondage and the establishment of a covenant with God. The story is often told in a linear fashion, moving from darkness to light, from servitude to salvation. But the Hasidic master Rabbi Mordechai Leiner of Izbica […]

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of vision impairment and blindness in older people around the world – with an incidence of 30% over the age of 70, 40% over the age of 80 and 50% of people over the age of 90 affected by some form of AMD. Now, a Canadian study […]

Whatever kind of relationship we’re in, many of us tend to naturally gravitate towards defined roles. In a marriage, for example, one partner might love cooking, the other cleaning. One might do home repairs, while the other is the social organizer. As a result, when we lose a loved one, we may be thrust into […]

A recently released Health Ministry report showed an increase of practitioners in most types of healthcare in the past decade, however, only 38% of licenses to practice were awarded to graduates of local educational institutions. Almost half the licenses went to Israelis who attended faculties abroad, and 13% to new immigrants. The report, titled “Manpower […]

There are two books of the Hebrew Bible set entirely in diaspora: Esther and Daniel. In both books, the Jews face an existential threat from hostile foreign authorities. In both books, a few select Jews who have been noticed by authorities for their wit and beauty adopt non-Jewish names (Hadassah becomes Esther, Daniel becomes Belshazzar) […]

Scientists at Cedars-Sinai have mapped the cellular changes linked to endometriosis to help improve therapeutic options for the millions of women affected by the disease. The study was published Monday in the peer reviewed journal Nature Genetics. About 1 in 10 women are plagued by the condition, which occurs when cells similar to those lining […]

Many Israeli university and college students, especially males, are addicted to online gaming, according to new research by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Beersheba. The aim of the cross-sectional study published in a prominent journal was to examine the impact of gaming and gaming disorder on the well-being of Israeli male […]

In his later years the renowned Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, suddenly announced that he was going to Switzerland to climb in the Alps. “Why?” asked his astonished students. “Because when I come face to face with the Creator of the universe,” mused Hirsch, “I know He will look down at me and say ‘So, Shimshon, did you […]

All patients who undergo procedures requiring anesthesia – including surgery – should be asked about whether they use cannabis, medicinally or recreationally, according to new guidelines released by the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA Pain Medicine).  The first American guidelines on cannabis use in relation to surgery also note that regular […]

The Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccine booster developed by Pfizer Inc PFE.N and BioNTech SE 22UAy.DEsharply reduced hospitalizations among older patients, Israeli researchers said on Monday, in some of the first evidence of the jab’s real-world effectiveness. The study by researchers from healthcare provider Clalit, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Sapir College has not yet been […]