March 4, 2024

A Note on Shomer Shabbas Residency

There is much discussion regarding the attitude religious medical students should have when considering ranking shomer shabbas residencies. There are two components to keeping shabbas. One is the prohibition from doing certain actions (basically, the 39 melachos) and two is the obligation to celebrate shabbas (rest, make kiddush, not fast […]
May 9, 2023

Medication on Shabbat

A Medical Perspective Background The Gemara Shabbat (53) describes the difference between an animal or person suffering from some form of hematoma where a person can bathe on shabbat to treat his hematoma while an animal cannot. Olah explains that the animal cannot bathe due to a gezira of schikat […]
May 9, 2023

Halachot of Zoom

Many interesting halachic questions suddenly became relevant to many more than previously with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic where people were told to remain home and isolated from others. One such issue that within a few hours became a global controversy is the permissibility of using Zoom during the Pesach seder. For many families the idea of not spending the holiday with their extended relatives is completely foreign. The seemingly simple idea was to allow people to follow health protocols by leaving Zoom on before chag so they can, at least virtually, be with their extended families.
March 12, 2023

Kotev

כותב is doing an action that will form permanent words, numbers or pictures. That action does not necessarily need to be a form of writing. Instead, any action that will form words will be an איסור מדאורייתא. מוחק is the reverse of כותב. That is, the removal of letters in order to make space for new letters to be written down.