Derech Hateva
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DERECH HATEVA Stern College for Women • Yeshiva University • Volume 18, 2013-2014 A Journal of Torah and Science DERECH A Publication of Stern College for Women Yeshiva University HATEVA Volume 18, 2013-2014 Editors-In-Chief: Devorah Farber, Amy Nathan, Chaya Spigelman Cover Design and Layout: Daniela Garzon Printing: Advanced Copy Center. Brooklyn, NY 11230 Donors The publication of this journal would not have been possible without the help of our generous donors. Jewish tradition teaches that the Torah is a “tree of life to those who support it” (Proverbs 3:18). The Midrash interprets this verse to mean that the Torah gives life to those who participate in Torah study, as well as those who support its study. Derech HaTeva provides the unique opportunity for students to synthesize their passion for science with their love of Torah, and we thank you for making this opportunity possible. We would like to thank the following donors who have helped fund the publication of volume 18 of Derech HaTeva: Dr. and Mrs. Harvey Babich Dr. and Mrs. Eliot Ghatan Dr. and Mrs. Richard Grazi Mr. and Mrs. Morris Rosenthal Rabbi and Mrs. Baruch Solnica Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin Solomowitz Torah Activities Council YU Admissions Dedication We dedicate the eighteenth volume of Derech HaTeva: A Journal of Torah and Science to the memory of Esther Ohayon, who was struck by a car and killed instantly while walking to the Etz Chaim Synagogue in Florida on the night of Yom Kippur, Sept. 13, 2013. She was 57 years old. Her 16-year-old daughter, Orly Ohayon, was also struck and, although critically injured, she survived. Esther’s fate was not as fortunate, and her sudden death serves as a reminder of both the fragility of the human body and the ultimate power of G-d as its maker. Through this dedication, we hope to emphasize the importance of utilizing our opportunities to engage in the study of Torah and science with the recognition that they may be limited, because each precious moment may be the last. Acknowledgements We would like to thank Dr. Babich for his tireless, indispensable efforts to this publication. This volume of Derech HaTeva would not have been possible without his guidance and commitment. Dr. Babich’s dedication to his students and Stern College for Women has nurtured an enriched appreciation for the amalgamation of Torah and science. Devorah Farber Amy Nathan Chaya Spigelman ,From there you will seek Hashem“ " ִּובַקְשֶתִם מָשֶם אְת י ָֹקוה ,your G-d, and you will find Him ֱאֶֹלקָיָך ּומָצִאת כ ְִי תְדרֶשּנּו if you search for him with all your בְכָללְ בָ בְ ָךּו בְ כָ ל נַ פְ שֶ ָך " heart and all your soul.” Devarim 4:29 Table of contents Jacqueline Benayoun , North African Jewry: the Possibility of Introducing Genetic Screening...................................................................7 Rebecca Benhaghnazar, The Sounds that Reach the Soul........................................................................................................................9 Emily Chase, Does Following the Torah Make Us Happy?........................................................................................................................11 Elisheva Dorfman, OUGMO...................................................................................................................................................................13 Bracha Einzig, Leah’s Eyes; a Contribution to her Children......................................................................................................................15 Yael Farzan, Smoking in Jewish Law..........................................................................................................................................................17 Talia Felman, An Unexpected Leader: A Psychiatric Analysis of King Saul............................................................................................20 Zahava (Sheryl) Finkelstein, The Admoni Gene: Who Made the Red Man Red?................................................................................22 Michelle Golfeiz, Chicken Soup Remedy: Seeking Truth in an “Old Jewish Wives’ Tale”........................................................................25 Sima Grossman, Clarifying the Question of Cosmetic Surgery...................................................................................................................27 Sara Kaszovitz, Kidney Donation: It’s Complicated....................................................................................................................................29 Deena Miller, Jacob’s Injury: Differential Diagnosis of Hip Pathology........................................................................................................31 Rachel Mirsky, Sacred Hunger..................................................................................................................................................................33 Sarah Nagar, Girl, Boy, or Somewhere in Between?....................................................................................................................................35 Amy Nathan, Animal Experimentation: Necessary Evil or Just Evil?.......................................................................................................36 Michelle Neiman, On Magic and Medicine..............................................................................................................................................38 Dahlia Pasik, The Halachic Status of an Alzheimer’s Patient....................................................................................................................40 Chana Ratner, DNA Evidence for the Bene Israel of India.......................................................................................................................42 Hila Refael, The Power of Mindful Meditation..........................................................................................................................................44 Kate Rosenblatt, Seeing is Believing: Synesthesia at Sinai.........................................................................................................................47 Michal Schecter, Mythical Creatures in Rabbinic Literature: the Adnei Hasadeh and the Mud-Mice.......................................................49 Naomi Schwartz, Grapes in Medicine: From the Talmud until Today.......................................................................................................51 Julia Regina Segal, Coffee: The Jewish Energy Drink...............................................................................................................................54 Chaya Spigelman, “Are You My Mother?”: An Exploration of Legal Motherhood with Regard to Surrogacy..........................................56 Allison J. Tawill, Sarah’s infertility: A Diagnosable Case?.........................................................................................................................58 Liat Weinstock, Delaying Ovulation for the Sake of Fertilization..............................................................................................................60 Samantha Wilder, Cancer in Tanach........................................................................................................................................................62 Farha Zibak, Awareness and Prevention: The Need for Genetic Screening in the Syrian Jewish Community................................................63 Dr. H. Babich, Biblical and Talmudic Human Genetics..............................................................................................................................65 North African Jewry: The Possibility of Introducing Genetic Screening Jacqueline Benayoun any of the Jewish communities in North Africa are A common genetic disorder in the North African Jewish among the oldest in the world, dating over 2,700 years. community is familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) (OMIM MJewish communities in North Africa, including Morocco, #249100), an autosomal recessive disorder resulting from Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Sudan, and Egypt, were established early mutation in the pyrin gene. This disease is manifested by recurrent in the Diaspora; other Jewish communities arrived after their attacks of fever and inflammation of liquids around the abdominal expulsion from Spain in 1492 [1]. Over the twentieth century, the cavity, the joints, and the lungs [5]. Amyloidosis and renal failure are vast majority of these Jews have emigrated, mainly to Israel and clinical complications that may develop. FMF was notably observed France, with substantial numbers moving to South America, Canada in Jews from Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. FMF is commonly and the US, and establishing communities there. found in men, more so than in women, and is believed to affect Due to the largely homogenous Jewish communities that were one in seven Jews from these regions. The most common clinical present in North Africa for centuries, similar genetic markers, treatment for this disorder is colchicines, which can ameliorate as well as unique genetic diseases, can be traced to these insular some of the painful symptoms. A late-onset form of the disease communities. The similar genetic make-up among the North was characterized by Tamir et al. [6]. These patients experienced African Jewish communities is indicative of their seclusion and their first FMF attack at age 40 or later. minimal intermarriage, strengthening the claim of a Jewish presence Similarly,