There are only a handful of examples from the Talmudic period and most serious discussions occurred only in the nineteenth century during a time when traditional Judaism felt embattled, and so tended to make negative responses to all questions which sought any change in attitude.

The nucleus of this volume consists of papers delivered at an international symposium of the Institute of Progressive Halakhah in Montreal in 1993. Several papers have been enlarged and some have been added.

Although a number of Reform responsa on this subject have appeared over the decades, there has been no thorough examination of the question of death and euthanasia since a lengthy essay/responsum by Jacob Z. Lauterbach, in 1924. The essays in this volume seek to examine the problem of death and euthanasia in the light of both tradition and our modern understanding of the halakhah. The responsa provided in this volume are representative of what has been written during this century.