DOCSLIB.ORG

Jewish Bioethics in the Age of Genetics

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Jewish Bioethics in the Age of Genetics University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 8-2001 Technology and Tradition: Jewish Bioethics in the Age of Genetics Toby Lee Fey University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Philosophy Commons Recommended Citation Fey, Toby Lee, "Technology and Tradition: Jewish Bioethics in the Age of Genetics. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2001. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/2056 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Toby Lee Fey entitled "Technology and Tradition: Jewish Bioethics in the Age of Genetics." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Philosophy. Dr. Glenn C. Graber, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Dr. Mary Ann Handel, Dr. Jonathan Kaplan, Dr. Betsy Postow Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Toby Lee Fey entitled “Technology and Tradition: Jewish Bioethics in the Age of Genetics.” I have examined the final copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Philosophy. Dr. Glenn C. Graber Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Dr. Mary Ann Handel Dr. Jonathan Kaplan Dr. Betsy Postow Accepted for the Council: Dr. Anne Mayhew Interim Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file in the Graduate Student Services Office.) TECHNOLOGY AND TRADITION: JEWISH BIOETHICS IN THE AGE OF GENETICS A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Toby Lee Fey August 2001 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS While everything we do and everything we say reflect our connection with others, some projects attest to that interconnectedness more than others – and this is one such project. I am grateful to many people for making this work possible. The faculty of the Philosophy Department at the University of Tennessee continued to challenge me as a philosopher and helped me to develop the skills that I will carry with me throughout my work. When their challenges got particularly trying, Ann Beardsley and Marie Horton were always there with words of encouragement and solutions to (often incredibly tedious) logistical problems. I am also grateful to the University of Tennessee for awarding me the Yates Dissertation Fellowship for assistance in completing my dissertation this year. I owe a special debt to Glenn Graber, my dissertation chair, for reading countless drafts of this work, for offering comments and suggestions, and for putting up with my endless emails expressing concern and frustration. Glenn was always more than willing to meet, both in person and “virtually,” and chat about the project and its direction. Glenn was also a great help in securing my first official employment, and for his suggestions and encouragement I will be eternally grateful. This work is also a reflection of the detailed comments and suggestions offered by the remainder of my committee: Mary Ann Handel, Jonathan Kaplan, and Betsy Postow. There is no question that the project is more focused, more accurate, and more clearly expressed because of their input. iii A special thank you also goes to Charles Reynolds in Religious Studies. Charlie was always there with words of encouragement and suggestions for how to just “get it done.” His confidence in me inspired confidence in myself, and I truly appreciate all of his efforts on my behalf. The greatest debt is the one that I owe to my friends for listening to me complain, empathizing with the dissertation-writing process, and encouraging me to continue. Anne Kummer Wells was an invaluable friend to me from the very beginning of this program and continues to be important in my life. Alissa Garber Putman, while in a different doctoral program, has always been ready to listen to and commiserate with my frustrations. Annette Mendola, Carolyn Ells, and Jim Okapal have always been ready with encouragement and advice when I was in danger of faltering. Mandy Foster has helped me to put the tasks in which I am engaged into perspective and has been unfailingly encouraging -- for her friendship I will be forever grateful. Similarly, David Reisman has often lent me a sympathetic ear, and has offered wonderful distractions from the pressures of academia. I have known Devora Shapiro only for a relatively short time, and yet my debt to her is large, for being a good friend when one was desperately needed. And most importantly, Barbara Russell has contributed to the completion of this work in many ways – from not letting me give up to reminding me that there is a reason that only a few cross the finish line in this important race. The debt I owe to her for her encouragement and friendship is immeasurable, and I can only hope to repay such kindness with support of my own. I iv wish her, and all of my friends, happiness, love, and success in whatever arena they so choose. v ABSTRACT The thesis that I defend in this project is that utilizing a care ethic is helpful in understanding the decisions reached by the observant Jewish community regarding medical care and the influence of genetics on those decisions. Previous analyses, as forms of “traditional” Jewish bioethics, have focused exclusively on the religious laws and principles that determine right action for this group. But it seems to me that identifying other patterns and core elements specific to this group will further illuminate and clarify the decision-making process. Specifically, the importance of relationships, especially family, is a pattern that must be addressed when analyzing the concerns of this community. Refocusing the discussion on relationships, on the “web of interconnectedness” that joins all the members of this community (and these members to other communities as well) will allow us to both make sense of some disparate decisions regarding genetic screening and information, and will allow us to make predictions about future responses this community might make. Hence, in order to understand or even predict the responses that this community will have to issues involved with genetic screening, we will need to understand the application of the relevant religious laws and principles in terms of the community’s emphasis on family relationships. I discuss three particular diseases that have a genetic component, Tay- Sachs Disease, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer, in order to demonstrate the traditional approach and its shortcomings. I will show that augmenting traditional vi Jewish bioethics with an ethic of care is actually not a new element, but instead describes the process that has been occurring all along. vii PREFACE Judaism is more than a religion; it is a culture, a tradition, a people. The rich history shared by the members of this community binds them together, as do the rituals that have evolved to remember and sanctify those events. Jews fast on the anniversary of the destruction of the Temples and rejoice on the day the Persian king spared the lives of his Jewish subjects. None of these celebrations or lamentations are conducted in private; rather, Jews gather with family and friends in times of joy as well as in times of grief. The celebration of Passover is commemorated by a glorious feast where, together with family and friends, Jews recount the story of God’s wonders in Egypt. And at the loss of a loved one, a formal period of mourning for seven days is observed, during which time those whose lives the individual has touched come by to console and to grieve with the family. Even at the most personal holiday, Yom Kippur, where Jews must individually atone for their sins and ask for forgiveness from both God and those whom they have hurt, they assemble together with their community in the synagogue, in recognition that each individual is about the same task. They pray together, laugh together, cry together, and live together. It is this notion of togetherness, of community, which is so fundamental to understanding the Jewish people. It is a shared history, but it is so much more: shared work, shared worship, shared life. In this interconnected community, what happens to one happens to all. A death in one family means a meal preparation and a shiva call viii for another. The birth of a son to a young couple means attendance at a brit milah for all. Nothing in this notion of community and interconnectedness changes when we shift our focus to the medical sphere. Rather, any medical decisions made by members of this community are affected by this interconnectedness. Clearly principles and religious obligations will play a role in determining what the right action is for this group of people, but so will the emphasis on family and community. Only by understanding this background can we make sense of the choices made in a medical context. For the purpose of this project, I am interested in analyzing a specific area in the medical realm, that of advances in genetic medicine.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Download Download
    Judaica Librarianship Volume 9 Number 1–2 17-28 12-31-1995 Climbing Benjacob's Ladder: An Evaluation of Vinograd's Thesaurus of the Hebrew Book Roger S. Kohn Library of Congress, Washington, DC, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://ajlpublishing.org/jl Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Information Literacy Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, and the Reading and Language Commons Recommended Citation Kohn, Roger S.. 1995. "Climbing Benjacob's Ladder: An Evaluation of Vinograd's Thesaurus of the Hebrew Book." Judaica Librarianship 9: 17-28. doi:10.14263/2330-2976.1178. , Association of Jewish Libraries, 30th Annual Convention, Chicago '.! I APPROBATIONS Climbing -Benjacob's Ladder: An Evaluation of Vinograd's Thesaurus of the Hebrew Book* Rogers.Kohn Stanford University Libraries Stanford, CA [Vinograd, Yeshayahu. Otsar ha-sefer ha '/vri: reshimat ha-sefarim she­ :,~yn ,.!>t,n ,~lN •ln,yw, ,,,n:m nidpesu be-ot '/vrit me­ 11,~y nuo W.!rTlWc,,.non 1ltl'W1 , reshit ha-def us ha- '/vri bi-shenat 229 (1469) 'ad· ""!:nmvr.i ~Yn Ol.!rTn 11,wNitl shenat 623 (186~. :c,~wl,, .(1863) l"!:>111nlW ;y C1469) Yerushalayim: ha-Makhon ,mwmtltl m.nill'~~~ 1l~tln le-bibliyografyah .n"lW1l·i"lW1l memuhshevet, 754-5, c1993-1995]. Vinograd, Yeshayahu. Abstract: The Thesaurus of the Hebrew The foremost French bibliographer of the Thesaurus of the Hebrew Book, by Yeshayahu Vinograd, is re­ previous generation, Louise-Noelle Malcles viewed in the context of both general (1899-1977), defines the term bibliography Book: Listing of Books bibliography and of general Hebraica thus: printed in Hebrew Letters bibliography.
    [Show full text]
  • TO GREATER HEIGHTS Machne Israel Development Fund
    $2.00 US ELUL 5775 ISSUE 35 (112) TO GREATER HEIGHTS Machne Israel Development Fund בס”ד בס”ד בס”ד the Rebbe’s approach of teshuvah with simcha, always ידוע הביאור בענינו של חודש אלול "ע"פ משל למלך שקודם .increasing in light בואו לעיר יוצאין אנשי העיר לקראתו ומקבלין פניו בשדה, ואז • רשאין כל מי שרוצה לצאת להקביל פניו והוא מקבל את כולם בסבר פנים יפות ומראה פנים שוחקות לכולם"... Approaching the year 5776, we prepare for another .Hakhel year ...ובנוגע לעניננו: גם מי שנמצא ב"שדה", שאינו מקום ישוב, אלא מקום דצמיחת עשב, מאכל בהמה, שמורה על נפש הבהמית, We need not elaborate on the importance of the ועד ל"עשו גו' איש שדה" – הרי, בחודש אלול בא הרבי אליו mitzvah of Hakhel and the tumult the Rebbe created בהיותו בשדה, ולא זו בלבד שהרבי אינו כועס )ברוגז( על הטירחא around it. שהטריחוהו לבוא למקום ירוד כזה, אלא אדרבה, מקבלו בסבר But an interesting aspect of this idea is the emphasis פנים יפות ומראה לו פנים שוחקות... made on coming to the Rebbe’s daled-amos ...כשהרבי בא לשדה רשאין כל מי שרוצה להקביל פניו, וכולם specifically in a Hakhel year. עומדים מוכנים להקביל פניו, ולא צריכים אפילו להדחף... כיון Yasher koach to all the guests... [who came] to be...“ שהרבי עצמו מקבל את כולם בסבר פנים יפות ומשפיע לכולם. in the daled amos—shul and beis midrash—of the צריכים רק לא להיות טפש, ולצעוק "אבא הצילני"... לא תובעים nossi hador, the [Frierdiker] Rebbe, during the time of גדולות ונפלאות, אלא צעקה אחת פנימית: "אבא אבא הצילני, Hakhel…” the Rebbe said at the conclusion of Tishrei, אבא אבא רחמני"..
    [Show full text]
  • Milestones in Jewish Medical Ethics: Medical
    Milestones in Jewish Medical Ethics Medical-Halachic Literature in Israel, 1948-1998 Mordechai Halperin, M.D. Main Chapters A. Definition of Concepts E. Third Decade 1. Introduction 1. The Dr. Falk Schlesinger Institute for 2. Medical Ethics Medical-Halachic Research 3. Jewish Medical Ethics 2. Assia 4. Medicine and Jewish Law 3. Moriah 5. Medicine and Halalcha 4. Mahanayim 6. Medicine & Judaism 5. Pathology and the Talmud 6. Lev Avraham B. Medical Halachic Literature: 7. Other Publications Ancient Times 1. From the Biblical Period through F. Fourth Decade the Eighteenth Century 1. Nishmat Avraham 2. From the Early Nineteenth Century 2. The Medical-Halachic Encyclopedia until the Establishment of the (Hebrew Edition) State of Israel 3. The Foundations of the Law Act - 3. Fifty Years of Statehood 1980 4. Judge Amnon Carmi and The Society C. First Decade for Medicine and Law in Israel 1. The Chief Rabbis: Rabbi Isaac 5. Technological Halachic Institutes Hertzog and Rabbi Ben-Tsiyyon 6. Additional Publications Meir Hai Uziel 7. The Jacobovits Center 2. Ha-Torah ve-Ha-Mdinah for Jewish Medical Ethics 3. Tsits Eli‘ezer 8. Special Lectures for Physicians 4. No‘am: Platform for Clarification of Halachic Problems G. Fifth Decade 5. Other Authorities 1. International Conferences in America and Israel D. Second Decade 2. Jewish Medical Ethics (JME) 1. First Bestseller: Shemirat Shabbat 3. Multimedia Halacha and Medicine ke-Hilchata 4. Precedents in Medicine and Law 2. Jewish Medical Ethics 5. Yael Shefer vs. The State of Israel 3. Tora She-be‘al Peh and Ha-Ma‘ayan 6. The Value of The State of Israel and The Patient Rights Act 7.
    [Show full text]
  • Bioethics, Sustainability, and Religious Thought
    Hillel Gray, Religious ethics, 2010 1 Introduction for the Piedmont Project. Thanks to the Piedmont Project, an undergraduate course in religious bioethics has been modified to address sustainability issues, primarily the ethics of environmental health. The course would give students an opportunity to apply ethical reasoning and comparative analysis to a series of timely topics in medical ethics and environmental health. Accordingly, the religious bioethics syllabus was expanded to cover several aspects of sustainability. Students in the course would learn about the meaning of sustainability, the connections between medical ethics and sustainability, and the reasons and mechanisms for making health care institutions more sustainable. In addition, through the Piedmont workshop and subsequent research, I have been able to appreciate and utilize religious writings on specific sustainability topics. I had originally planned for the syllabus to consider several environmental health (e.g., endocrine-disrupting chemicals) and comparative methodology (e.g., informed consent and environmental right-to-know) topics that are relevant to both medical ethics and sustainability. However, since several topics lack high-quality religious writings to support stand-alone curricular modules, such topics will be covered by lectures and class exercises. Nonetheless, the syllabus has been expanded significantly to cover sustainability at several levels. To exemplify the relationship between medical ethics and sustainability, the course shows how religious thought struggles with both individual health risks and institutional management of environmental health risks. To demonstrate the diversity of religious thinking on sustainability at the global level, the course will also focus on religious thought and programming on climate change. The course will conclude with topics in biomedical technologies (i.e., reproductive technologies and organ transplantation) that have unexplored implications for sustainability.
    [Show full text]
  • The Further Reforming of Conservative Judaism
    The Further Reforming of Conservative Judaism in this issue ... THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN 002]-6615) is published monthly, except July and August, by the Changes in Perspective Through Torah Encounters ........ 6 Agudath Israel of America, 5 Beekman Street, New York, N.Y. The Sunday Night Class, Hillel Belsky ..•.....•.•.... 7 10038. Second class postage paid The Joyful Light, Amos Keinen ........•.••....••••.• 9 at New York, N.Y. Subscription $15.00 per year; two years, $27.00; Concerns of a Parent, Harvey S. Hecker . ...•..••.•..• 10 three years. $36.00 outside of the United States, US funds only. "Dear Mom," Molly, Moshe and I .............•.••.. 13 $20.00 in Europe and Israel. $25.00 in So. Africa and Australia. Single The Age of Teshuva, a review article ..••.•..•..•••.. 14 copy, $2.00. Send address changes Return to The Jewish Observer, 5 Beek­ man St., N.Y. N.Y. 10038. Printed Pathways in the U.S.A. Our Miraculous World With Perfect faith HABnt N1ssoN WoLPJN Editor The further Reforming of Conservative Judaism, Nisson Wolpin .................................•••••.. 17 Editorial Board The Critical Parent's Guidebook, Avi Shulman .•.•..•.••••.• 20 OR. ERNST BoDENHrtMER Chairman The "Chaver," Yisroel Miller ...•....•.....•.....•.•..•... 25 RABBI NATHAN BULMAN RABBI josrrtt Eu ... s Saddiq of the Sahara, Nehama Consuelo Nahmoud . ......•.•..• 28 Josu'H fRIEDENSON RABBI MOSHE SHERER Books in Review ...................................... 33 Management Board The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet NAFTOU HIRSCH !SAA( K!RZNER Chumash Bereshith (Three Sidros); NACHUM 5TF.!N A Linear Translation Business Manager Letter to a Soviet Jew, a poem by Varda Branfman .......••..• 35 PESACH H. KONSTAM Second Looks at the Jewish Scene T Hr Jrw1sH OesERVrR does not assume responsibility for the The Dioxin Connection ........................
    [Show full text]
  • The Second Miracle
    ADAR 1-11 5733 / FEBRUARY 1973 VOLUME IX, NUMBER 1 FIFTY CENTS From Riga to Jerusalem: THE SECOND MIRACLE RUSSIAN IMMIGRANT, KISSING SEFER TORAH UPON ARRIVAL IN ISRAEL also The Akhashverosh Riddle Why Purim? The "Aveirah" Syndrome Letters • Books • Index THE JEWISH QBSERVER in this issue ... FROM RIGA TO JERUSALEM: THE SECOND MIRACLE, Herman Branover, as told to Nissan Wolpin ....... 3 A MODEST PROPOSAL, Aaron Brafman 6 FIGHTING FOR SHABBOS ON THE LEGAL FRONT-ADDENDA, Judah Dick ......................................... ........................................ 8 WHO WAS THE REAL AKHASHVEROSH'?, Shelomoh E. Danziger 12 THE JEWISH OBSERVER is published SOUNDS FROM SILENCE (POEMS), by Aaron Brafman 15 monthly, except July and August, by the Agudath Israel of America, WHY PURIM'?, Elkanah Schwartz ........... 16 5 Beekman Street, New York, New York 10038. Second class THE "AVEIRAH" SYNDROME, Moshe Spero 18 postage paid at New York, N. Y. Subscription: $5.00 per year; Two years, $8 ..~0; Three years, $12.00; BOOKS REVIEWED: outside of the United States, $6.00 per year. Single copy, fifty cents. CHAZON [SH, A BIOGRAPHY ...... 21 Printed in the U.S.A. RELIGIOUS JEWRY AND THE UNITED NATIONS ...... .. RABBI NISSON WOLPIN IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST DISCRIMINATION ................. Editor TEN YEARS OF HOPE ............................................................ .. 22 Editorial Board A PRESENT IN MY TREASURE CHEST 23 DR. ERNEST L. BODENHEIMER Chairn1an As DREAMERS WE WERE (A POEM), Aaron Blech ................. 24 RABBI NATHAN BULMAN RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS JOSEPH FRIEDENSON LETTERS TO THE EDITORS ............................................................................ 26 RABBI YAAKOV JACOBS RABBI MOSHE SHERER INDEX TO ARTICLES, VOLUME Vlll: SUBJECTS 30 THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the AUTHORS 31 Kashrus of any product or service advertised in its pages.
    [Show full text]
  • International Directory of | Bioethics * Organizations
    INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY OF BIOETHICS ORGANIZATIONS Edited by Anita L. Nolen Mary Carrington Coutts INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY OF | BIOETHICS * ORGANIZATIONS Edited by Anita L. Nolen Mary Carrington Coutts National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057-1065 International Directory of Bioethics Organizations edited by Anita L. Nolen and Mary Carrington Coutts. Bioethics Resource Series, volume 1. Washington, DC: Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University, 1993. Copyright © July 1993 by the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University. All rights reserved. This book may not be duplicated in any way without the expressed written consent of the publisher, except in the form of brief excerpts or quotations for the purposes of review. The information contained may not be duplicated in other books, databases or any other medium without written consent of the publisher. Making copies of this book, or any portion for any purpose other than your own, is a violation of United States copyright laws. This publication is supported by funds provided under Grant Number LM04492 from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Published by: National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature Kennedy Institute of Ethics Georgetown University Washington, DC 20057-1065 Toll free (U.S. and Canada): 800-MED-ETHX Telephone 202-687-3885 Fax: 202-687-6770 E-Mail: [email protected] ISBN 1-883913-11-X Table of Contents Table of Contents ........................... iii Introduction .......................... vii Advisory Board ....... .......viii Acknowledgements.............................................. ix About the National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature.... xi Staff...................................................... xii Bioethics Organizations (alphabetical order by country, andlor state, and name of organization).
    [Show full text]
  • Jewish Medical Ethics and End-Of-Life Care
    JOURNAL OF PALLIATIVE MEDICINE Volume 7, Number 4, 2004 Review Article © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Jewish Medical Ethics and End-of-Life Care BARRY M. KINZBRUNNER, M.D. ABSTRACT While Judaism espouses the infinite value of human life, Judaism recognizes that all life is finite and, as such, its teachings are compatible with the principles of palliative medicine and end-of-life care as they are currently practiced. Jewish medical ethics as derived from Jewish law, has definitions for the four cardinal values of secular medical ethics: autonomy, benef- icence, nonmaleficence, and justice, with the major difference between Jewish law and sec- ular medical ethics being that orthodox or traditional Jews are perceived to limit their au- tonomy by choosing, with the assistance and advice of their rabbis, to follow God’s law as defined by the Bible and post-Biblical sources. With an understanding of Jewish medical ethics as defined by Jewish law, various issues pertaining to the care of Jewish patients who are near the end-of-life can be better understood. Jewish tradition contains within its textual sources the concept of terminal illness. The shortening of life through suicide, assisted sui- cide, or euthanasia is categorically forbidden. For patients who are terminally ill, treatments that are not potentially curative may be refused, especially when harm may result. Under cer- tain circumstances, treatments may be withheld, but active treatment already started may not usually be withdrawn. While patients should generally not be lied to regarding their condi- tions, withholding information or even providing false information may be appropriate when it is felt that the truth will cause significant harm.
    [Show full text]
  • OF 17Th 2004 Gender Relationships in Marriage and Out.Pdf (1.542Mb)
    Gender Relationships In Marriage and Out Edited by Rivkah Blau Robert S. Hirt, Series Editor THE MICHAEL SCHARF PUBLICATION TRUST of the YESHIVA UNIVERSITY PRESs New York OF 17 r18 CS2ME draft 8 balancediii iii 9/2/2007 11:28:13 AM THE ORTHODOX FORUM The Orthodox Forum, initially convened by Dr. Norman Lamm, Chancellor of Yeshiva University, meets each year to consider major issues of concern to the Jewish community. Forum participants from throughout the world, including academicians in both Jewish and secular fields, rabbis,rashei yeshivah, Jewish educators, and Jewish communal professionals, gather in conference as a think tank to discuss and critique each other’s original papers, examining different aspects of a central theme. The purpose of the Forum is to create and disseminate a new and vibrant Torah literature addressing the critical issues facing Jewry today. The Orthodox Forum gratefully acknowledges the support of the Joseph J. and Bertha K. Green Memorial Fund at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary established by Morris L. Green, of blessed memory. The Orthodox Forum Series is a project of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, an affiliate of Yeshiva University OF 17 r18 CS2ME draft 8 balancedii ii 9/2/2007 11:28:13 AM Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Orthodox Forum (17th : 2004 : New York, NY) Gender relationships in marriage and out / edited by Rivkah Blau. p. cm. – (Orthodox Forum series) ISBN 978-0-88125-971-1 1. Marriage. 2. Marriage – Religious aspects – Judaism. 3. Marriage (Jewish law) 4. Man-woman relationships – Religious aspects – Judaism. I.
    [Show full text]
  • Behind the Miracle
    ב“ה An inspiring story for your Shabbos table ערב שבת פרשת שמות, כ׳ טבת, תשע״ו HERE’S Erev Shabbos Parshas Shemos, January 1, 2016 my STORY BEHIND THE Generously MIRACLE sponsored by the RABBI ZEV SEGAL first met the Rebbe in the early 1950s, shortly after he had assumed leadership of Chabad-Lubavitch Iand shortly after I was appointed chairman of the Israel Commission of the Rabbinical Council of America. In this capacity I was involved with issues affecting religious life in the State of Israel, which were of great interest to the Rebbe. And so, we frequently met to discuss the highly controversial issues of the day, such as religious women serving in the IDF, the place of non-Jews in the Jewish state, how the state should define who is a Jew, and so on. Many a time, I came to see him at about midnight and left at four in the morning. During those meetings, it became apparent to me that the Rebbe had a tremendous amount of knowledge of what was going on in Israel, including many minute details. He knew who was who in the Knesset and in every one that the Rebbe had studied at the Sorbonne and was of its subcommittees. He knew of every government as well versed in the sciences as in Torah. This was meeting on every subject, and who was against or unheard of in a chasidic Rebbe, and it impressed Ben for a particular position. It was quite an experience Gurion to no end. to listen to him speak about government meetings As my work with the Rabbinical Council of America as though he was there.
    [Show full text]
  • Yes, We Can Rely on Miracles
    LET’S LEARN CHASSIDUS With Rabbi Shais Taub But how did Og know that’s how Avraham would react? There is, after YES, all, such a thing as a lost cause. If Og was serious about trying to get Avraham killed, he should have tried WE CAN to talk Avraham into a dangerous situation that seemed harmless. What made Og think he could get RELY ON Avraham to walk into an obvious deathtrap? And another mystery: The MIRACLES Medrash tells us that when Og WHY YOU HAVE arrived to tell Avraham about Lot, Og found Avraham baking matzah. TO BE A LITTLE (Do not wonder how Avraham could have baked matzah 400 CRAZY TO EAT years before the Exodus. Chazal tell us [Kiddushin 82a, Yoma 28b]: MATZAH “Avraham fulfilled the entire Torah before it was given.”) But why does the Medrash tell us this detail—that Avraham was baking matzos—as part of the story of how Og tried to set up Avraham? g, the giant who escaped the Flood, informed Avraham that his Why is it relevant? nephew Lot had been captured by the Four Kings. Og arrived and saw Avraham Now, there was no way that Avraham could defeat the Four Kings, baking matzah. Then he tried to talk but Og wanted to marry Sarah. In his mind, if he could goad Avraham him into getting himself killed. But into going out on what was essentially a kamikaze mission, he could what’s the significance of matzah in Omove in afterwards and marry Avraham’s widow (Bereishis Rabbah 42:8).
    [Show full text]
  • Halacha Defining Death Jewish Medical Ethics: the Brain Death Controversy in Jewish Law by Rabbi Yitzchok A
    החידון המדע הירושלמי Jerusalem Science Contest Part 3, Slides 14 thru 21 Jewish Law Decisions Halacha defining death Jewish Medical Ethics: The Brain Death Controversy in Jewish Law by Rabbi Yitzchok A. Breitowitz, 1996 Rabbi Breitowitz received his Rabbinical Ordination from the Ner Israel Rabbinical College in 1976; B.S. with honors from Johns Hopkins University; J.D (magna cum laude) from Harvard Law School in 1979; and a Doctorate in Talmudic Law from Ner Israel in 1992. He has lectured extensively throughout the US and Israel on medical, business, and family ethics. He has published numerous articles on bankruptcy, commercial law, medical ethics, family law, and halakha.In addition to being the Rabbi of the Woodside Synagogue in SIlver Spring MD, Rabbi Breitowitz is a Professor of Law at the University of Maryland. The issues that need to be decided under Jewish Law. 1. Is irreversible dysfunction of the entire brain a valid criterion of death under Jewish Law? a. If No, then, such a person is alive. b. If Yes, the following issue must be decided: 2. Are the medical tests currently utilized in establishing such a condition valid indicators of its presence under Jewish Law? a. Which Tests? b. Are the tests being utilized in the patient’s facility tests that qualify under Jewish law? Mishnah Oholot 1:6 ָאָדם ֵאינֹו ְמַטֵמא, ַעֶׁדשֵתֵצאַ נְפשֹו. ַוֲאִפּלּוְ מֻגָּיד, ַוֲאִפּלּוֵ גֹוסס. זֹוֵקק ַלִיּבּום ּופֹוֵטִר מןַ הִיּבּום, ַמֲאִכילַ ּבְתָּרּומהֵּופֹוסלַ ּבְתָּרּומה. וְכֵן ְּבֵהָּמהְ וַחָּיה ֵאָּינןְמַטְמִאין, ַעדֶׁ שֵתֵצאַ נְפָּשם. ֻהְתזּוָ רֵאשֶׁיהם, ַאףַ עִּל פיֶׁ שְמַפְרְכִּסים, ְטֵמִּאים, ְכָּגֹון זָּנֶׁב של ְלָּטָּאהֶׁשִהיא ְמַפְרָּכֶׁסת: A person does not defile [as a corpse] until he dies.
    [Show full text]