Category: Science and Health

In a legal context, two sentences that run consecutively are served one after the other while two that run concurrently overlap. So for example, if you’re sentenced for two crimes, each with a sentence of three years, you might be in for six years if the sentences are consecutive. But if they run concurrently — […]

As we have already seen, a key distinction between vows and oaths is that vows refer to objects while oaths refer to people. A mishnah on today’s daf informs us of another difference between them: There is a vow within a vow. But there is no oath within an oath.  This seems to mean that […]

The Flint, Michigan water crisis has brought concern about lead toxicity in drinking water back into the headlines. But the public health issue goes well beyond Flint: According to recent estimates, more than half the population of the US was exposed to high levels of lead as children. This information has presented scientists with a […]

Amongst Israel’s 1428 best doctors 222 are from the Sheba Medical Center, according to Forbes Israel. Sheba physicians also lead in over 50% of the specialties, including cardiology, gynecology, oncology and more.  Forbes Israel’s method of ranking the physicians has mostly relied on peer reviews, meaning the physicians rank each other. This method is done […]

Sleep apnea is a potentially serious disorder in which one’s breathing is either shallow or stops during sleep. It can be caused by a number of factors, is a risk factor for other conditions and can even potentially cause death in its own right. While the condition remains a serious issue for those affected, various […]

Sigd is a Jewish-Ethiopian holiday that symbolizes the renewal of the union between God and the people of Israel marked 50 days after Yom Kippur. The holiday serves for communal self-examination, similar to the individual self-examining during Yom Kippur, and includes fasting and prayer. The idea behind the holiday is that in order to leave […]

A medication used to treat eye diseases may be effective in fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study. This doesn’t mean it can treat COVID-19 but rather that this drug, Verteporfin, can help stop the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 after it infects the body. The findings of this […]

A California man who claimed Skittles are “unfit for human consumption” because they contained a known toxin has dismissed his federal lawsuit against Mars, the candy maker. Jenile Thames voluntarily dismissed his case on Monday, according to a filing by his lawyers in Oakland, California. No reason was given for the dismissal, which was without […]

A parasite that can cause eye infections and even permanently impair vision may have been found in the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), the Health Ministry announced on Tuesday evening. In recent days, the Health Ministry has received reports from ophthalmologists about at least 29 patients requiring hospitalizations due to severe inflammation of the cornea, corneal […]

The most incredible thing about Shabbat stews is how diverse they are, and yet how unified. By the term “Shabbat stew,” I mean a one-pot meal that is prepared on Friday, and then slow-cooks through the night to provide a hot lunch on Saturday. Virtually every Jewish community around the world has one, and their […]