END-STAGE EUTHANASIA

Every human life is to be valued but not necessarily forever. Our technology has enabled us to examine the grey area between life and death, so we must discuss the quality of life. Judaism has been willing to accept suffering when it could not be avoided but has not turned it into a virtue. Sometimes, of course, suffering was seen as a Divine test as in the story of Job. However, that story is a very good example of the dominant view that there is nothing wrong with the enjoyment of life and that, in fact, happiness, which the material and personal aspects of life bring is highly desirable and should be attained by as many people as possible. When Job withstood the test and even Satan, the adversary, was satisfied, everything was restored to Job. He then had twice as much as before; his family life was renewed with seven sons and three daughters; his wealth was impressive and he lived a long life. In other words, the experience had not turned him into an ascetic saint who renounced the world and its pleasures. That might have been expected but it was not the turn which this story took.

There have been ascetics in Jewish history, people who renounced both the pleasures of a personal life as well as those of worldly comfort. They are mentioned in our tradition, sometimes even mildly praised, but they have never become its heroes. That is true of the major Biblical figures, beginning with Abraham and continuing through David and Solomon who were celebrated for worldly success. Various later rabbis combined personal wealth with communal leadership, as Judah Hanasi (second century), Saadia Gaon (ninth century), Hasdai Ibn Shaprut (eleventh century), Meir of Rothenburg (fourteenth century), David Oppenheim ,(eighteenth century), and many others. As long as individuals took their personal and communal Jewish responsibility seriously and looked after those who were less fortunate, they were not required to abstain from the joys of material blessings. In other words, a good quality of life has always been seen as a positive goal toward which individuals might well strive alongside the development of their religious character and their intellectual abilities.