Judah Hanasi prayed for his release(Ker. 104a). Other ancient authorities pointed to similar examples(Ned. 40a and Commentaries). We would, however, discourage the individual from such prayer and rather seek to encourage a different attitude toward life. The growing field of psychology for the aged has succeeded in developing a variety of techniques for dealing with such long-term depression. We would encourage the family and the patient to utilize these methods or any other form of counseling and therapy available.
The individual who seeks relief from her pain should receive drugs which may help, even though they may slightly hasten death. As this is a very long-term process, the drug cannot be seen as actually causing her death. Suffering itself has never been seen as an independent good by Judaism . Even criminals destined for execution were drugged to alleviate their suffering
(San. 43a). Similarly the executioner of the martyr Hanina ben Teradyon was permitted by him to increase the temperature and remove wool sponges from his heart in order to make death a little easier, though Hanina was unwilling to pray for his own death as his disciples suggested(4. Z. 18a). We would, therefore, see no objection to relieving the suffering of the woman who is dying from cancer and for whom the drugs are not life threatening.
It is clear that in each of these cases, and in others like them, we should do our best to enhance the quality of life and to use whatever means modern science has placed at our disposal for this purpose. We need not invoke‘heroic’ measures to prolong life, nor should we hesitate to alleviate pain, but we can also not utilize a“low quality” of life as an excuse for hastening death.
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