Category: Science and Health

The Jewish month of Tevet always begins during Hanukkah. But when the first of that month also happens to be Shabbat, it’s a busy day in synagogue.  As Rabbi Titzhak Nappaha says on today’s daf: When the new moon of Tevet occurs on Shabbat, we take out three Torahs: From one, we read the topic of the […]

Juneteenth is an American holiday celebrating the end of slavery. This prayer reflects on the core story of the Jewish people — the Exodus from Egypt — which impels us to fight slavery everywhere. It celebrates the milestone of emancipation of Black American slaves, even as it acknowledges that there is much work still to […]

Imagindairy, an Israeli startup in the field of vegan food products, has produced an alternative milk to the commonly-consumed soy, almond and oat milks based on the same proteins seen in cow’s milk, the company announced on Thursday. Imagindairy was founded last year, and uses the artificial intelligence technique called “precision fermentation,” which involves creating […]

One of the oldest Jewish jokes in the book involves Mr. Cohen and Mr. Goldberg, regular minyan goers (meaning they pray together daily at the synagogue). One morning, as Mr. Cohen is hemming and hawing about going to synagogue, his wife asks: “Why do you even bother going? You don’t even believe in God!” His answer: “Goldberg talks to […]

Many home cooks this past year, in an Insta-inspired spirit, upped their challah-baking game with new braiding patterns, interesting flavors and vibrant colors. Yet it was a more standard ingredient that unwittingly connected many to their roots. If you used Fleischmann’s yeast for your challah, you leavened your dough with the essence of American Jewry. […]

The mishnah on today’s daf points out a challenge with gathering Jews from all over the world on Yom Kippur, with their different expectations and attitudes toward ritual life. Culture clash becomes somewhat inevitable — like this: And they made a ramp for the goat due to the Babylonian Jews who were in Jerusalem, who would pluck […]

As of Tuesday, the Health Ministry canceled the requirement to wear masks indoors. The few exceptions are medical facilities and nursing homes, individuals on their way to their location of quarantine and flight passengers. But while masks are no longer mandatory, are there still situations where it is advisable to wear them? Prof. Nadav Davidovitch, […]

Dear Daf Yomi,  I live too far from Jerusalem to deliver my annual contribution to the Temple myself, so my neighbors and I pooled our shekels together and sent them via messenger. But somewhere along the way, our package was lost.  I’m happy to do my part to support the ritual practices of the Temple, […]

Earth’s defense against the dangers of asteroid impacts have taken another step forward after NASA approved the continued development of the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor space telescope. Coming after its successful mission review, the telescope helps NASA detect near-Earth objects (NEOs), which are asteroids and comets that come within a range of 30 million miles […]

Today we are still troubleshooting the dramatic ritual of the two male goats whose fate is determined by casting lots: One is designated to be sacrificed on the altar, and the other to be sent off into the wilderness, symbolically carrying the nation’s sins. The mishnah on 62a wonders what happens if one of the goats dies […]