The medical staff at Jerusalem's Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital decided on Sunday evening to put the spiritual leader of the Shas party, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, back on a respirator.
The decision was made after Rabbi Yosef had suffered difficulty breathing. During the afternoon, the rabbi's cardiologist had reported the rabbi was comfortable and breathing on his own.
Last Thursday, the cardiologist, Prof. Dan Gilon, said that the rabbi was fully conscious and is communicating with the people around him.
The rabbi was placed in an induced coma and artificially respirated on September 24, when his medical condition deteriorated and fluid was discovered in his lungs. Doctors at the time said they were fighting for his life but his condition had later significantly improved.
Tens of thousands of people attended prayers for Rabbi Ovadia's health last week, in a mass prayer session at the Kotel (Western Wall).
The rabbi's family continues to ask the general public to pray for the recovery of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ben Georgia.