Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar
Modern technology has made it possible to transplant organs like heart, kidney, cornea, lung and liver from one human being to another, to save or enhance the quality of life of patients who suffer organ damage. What could be more altruistic than the gift of life? Once you are dead, your body need not go waste. The dead body is the shell of a living image of God. Rather than deepen our pain at the time of a loved one’s death, this ultimate act of generosity to donate organs may actually soften our loss and uplift us.
Most important among the 613 Commandments in the Old Testament is to “love your neighbour as yourself ” (Leviticus 19:18). The Jews were commanded to demonstrate love for God as well as for their fellowmen. Being willing to donate an organ from our own bodies would be a great example of selfless sacrifice for another. The Torah does not specifically address the issue of organ donation. Such a procedure was unknown in Biblical times.
At one time, organ donation and transplantation were prohibited by Jewish laws and tradition because such procedures were still in the experimental stage and meant risking lives. Today, that is not the case. Accordingly, Rabbis and scholars across the spectrum of Jewish life have upgraded their views on this. Organ donation from a dead body to a needy patient, is seen as an act of saving life, ‘pikkuah nefesh’. Organ donation from a living donor is fine, too, so long as it will not significantly risk the donor’s life; then it is a ‘mitzvah kiyumit’, praiseworthy. One of the most compelling arguments for organ donation is the love, mercy and compassion involved in such an act. Saving a life is a fundamental imperative in Judaism.
Tzedakah, charity, is an attribute of God himself. Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel considered charity as an indispensable requirement in life. The Hebrew word, ‘Tzedakah’, means righteousness/ justice. Charity to donate organs is greater than all sacrifices.
The Talmud Tractate Yoma 65b reminds us to remember the commandment “You shall live by them, you shall not die because of them” (Leviticus 19:16). This means that we should not stand idly by our neighbour who is suffering. This principle overrides Jewish objections to any unnecessary interference with the body after death and the requirement for immediate burial. On the contrary, the body is sewn up quickly and the funeral can occur without much delay. As Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:6 says, “Whoever saves one life, it is as if he saved the entire world.”
I appeal to all religious and spiritual leaders as well as all interfaith organisations and NGOs to unitedly come together and make today, August 1, the start of The Times Organ Donation Campaign, a grand success by creating awareness among followers, colleagues and students in schools and colleges by communicating their own willingness to donate their organs.
Let us declare together, that ‘‘I would like to help someone to live even after my death.’’ Let us remember a favourite bumper sticker that reads as follows: “Don’t take your organs to heaven, because heaven knows we need them here.” Organ donation needs to be seen as a true mitzvah, a commandment, a ‘must’. Go on, pledge your organs; help save lives.
DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: Times of India: The Speaking Tree: 1 Aug 2018
Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar
Modern technology has made it possible to transplant organs like heart, kidney, cornea, lung and liver from one human being to another, to save or enhance the quality of life of patients who suffer organ damage. What could be more altruistic than the gift of life? Once you are dead, your body need not go waste. The dead body is the shell of a living image of God. Rather than deepen our pain at the time of a loved one’s death, this ultimate act of generosity to donate organs may actually soften our loss and uplift us.
Most important among the 613 Commandments in the Old Testament is to “love your neighbour as yourself ” (Leviticus 19:18). The Jews were commanded to demonstrate love for God as well as for their fellowmen. Being willing to donate an organ from our own bodies would be a great example of selfless sacrifice for another. The Torah does not specifically address the issue of organ donation. Such a procedure was unknown in Biblical times.
At one time, organ donation and transplantation were prohibited by Jewish laws and tradition because such procedures were still in the experimental stage and meant risking lives. Today, that is not the case. Accordingly, Rabbis and scholars across the spectrum of Jewish life have upgraded their views on this. Organ donation from a dead body to a needy patient, is seen as an act of saving life, ‘pikkuah nefesh’. Organ donation from a living donor is fine, too, so long as it will not significantly risk the donor’s life; then it is a ‘mitzvah kiyumit’, praiseworthy. One of the most compelling arguments for organ donation is the love, mercy and compassion involved in such an act. Saving a life is a fundamental imperative in Judaism.
Tzedakah, charity, is an attribute of God himself. Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel considered charity as an indispensable requirement in life. The Hebrew word, ‘Tzedakah’, means righteousness/ justice. Charity to donate organs is greater than all sacrifices.
The Talmud Tractate Yoma 65b reminds us to remember the commandment “You shall live by them, you shall not die because of them” (Leviticus 19:16). This means that we should not stand idly by our neighbour who is suffering. This principle overrides Jewish objections to any unnecessary interference with the body after death and the requirement for immediate burial. On the contrary, the body is sewn up quickly and the funeral can occur without much delay. As Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:6 says, “Whoever saves one life, it is as if he saved the entire world.”
I appeal to all religious and spiritual leaders as well as all interfaith organisations and NGOs to unitedly come together and make today, August 1, the start of The Times Organ Donation Campaign, a grand success by creating awareness among followers, colleagues and students in schools and colleges by communicating their own willingness to donate their organs.
Let us declare together, that ‘‘I would like to help someone to live even after my death.’’ Let us remember a favourite bumper sticker that reads as follows: “Don’t take your organs to heaven, because heaven knows we need them here.” Organ donation needs to be seen as a true mitzvah, a commandment, a ‘must’. Go on, pledge your organs; help save lives.
DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: Times of India: The Speaking Tree: 1 Aug 2018