The nature of this boast is puzzling: What does the king of the Sasanian Empire, in this case Shapur I (r. 240–270 CE), have to do with rabbinic biblical interpretation? An anonymous interpolation explains that “King Shapur” in Rabbah’s boast is simply a nickname for Shmuel, an earlier prominent rabbi. According to the interpolation, Rabbah is therefore making a run-of-the-mill brag about besting his eminent rabbinic colleague, Shmuel. Even so, the fact that Shmuel’s high rank is conveyed through analogy to the Sasanian king is noteworthy. Such a comparison assumes that the rabbinic movement is a kind of microcosm of the Sasanian Empire, headed by prominent rabbis and kings respectively.

This chapter discusses the IKKT matrix model and its quantization. This model is the basis for Matrix theory, which is distinguished by maximal supersymmetry, leading to benign properties at the quantum level. The one-loop effective action is elaborated explicitly.

A lengthy talmudic story tells of a man from the city of Nehardea who entered a butcher’s shop in the city of Pumbedita and demanded some meat.1 When the man was told that he must wait until the attendant of Rav Yehuda b. Ezekiel is served, he rages, “who is Yehuda b. Shewiskel to receive before me!” – omitting Yehuda’s title “Rav” and employing a derisive portmanteau of Rav Yehuda’s patronymic “Ezekiel,” and the word for a type of roasted meat, shewisqa.2 When informed of the slight against him, Rav Yehuda excommunicates the man, while the rabbi’s students further advise him that this man regularly insults others by calling them slaves. Rav Yehuda cites a dictum, which he attributes to Shmuel, to the effect that anyone who calls others a slave is himself the descendent of slaves. This man then sues Rav Yehuda for defamation, and they appear before a judge. The man insists that, far from being a slave, he is in fact a descendant of the priestly and royal Hasmonean line. Rav Yehuda counters by conveniently furnishing another statement which he once again attributes to Shmuel: “Whoever says ‘I am descended from the house of the Hasmoneans’ is a slave.”

Liaison psychiatry services for older people (LPOP) is a challenging medical specialty, which requires communication with general medical practitioners, psychiatric services for older adults, including in-patient psychiatry, approved mental health professionals (AMHP), crisis teams, and community services for older adults. Familiarity with wider community services for older people, charity organisations, and voluntary services helps to improve the network system of LPOP, and this reflects positively on patients’ care and support. The branch of LPOP commonly deals with the change of patient care in the transition from acute and in-patient care to the community and vice versa. The frequent turnover of patients, comorbidities, legal complexities, safeguarding, and capacity issues necessitate awareness of the various medical and psychosocial issues of the patient population encountered in LPOP. In this chapter we outline the likely services available outside the hospital and the services (e.g. electroconvulsive therapy, ECT) that could be offered to both in-patients and outpatient; then we go on to explore communication and systems that should ensure optimal outcomes throughout the diverse stages of the patient care.