Alan Sokobin
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shall go unpunished, except he must pay for his idleness and his cure.”?”? Whatever the initial intent of the verses, the Talmud expands the rationale and comments,“The School of R[abbi] Ishmael taught:[The words]‘And to heal he shall heal?[is the source] whence it is derived that authorization was granted[by God ] to the medical man to heal.”?*!
Basic to Jewish law is the principle that there must be a clear distinction between suicide?®? and passive termination of life as well as active and voluntary euthanasia. All three terms share in one basic principle. Human beings have the ability to hasten death. In this context, euthanasia is a word derived from the Greek linguistic elements eu plus thana(os) to mean to induce a gentle and easy death.” The parallel Hebrew term is mitah yafah, a pleasant death.” This term is first used in a discussion of a judicial execution. As an extension to the Levitical exhortation that one should“love your neighbor as yourself,”?® it was determined that a condemned criminal should be executed mercifully.” The authoritative Talmudic commentator Rashi redefines “nice death” to mean“that he should die quickly.”?” An astute liberal rabbinic scholar links these concepts to assist us in understanding euthanasia.
The connection between time and suffering brings us to the issue of euthanasia. Were the dying person not suffering, were that person perfectly comfortable, in possession of his/her faculties, the issue would never arise! Suffering causes it to arise. Every human being, after all, every day and every moment, moves toward the grave; if life be free from suffering and full of delight, who would think of speeding there? Euthanasia presents itself as an option only when a person is dying and suffering and there seems no possibility of reversing the first condition or palliating the second. The two elements of euthanasia, then, are death, death which is imminent, and suffering, suffering which cannot be controlled.”
The Conservative rabbinate has taken a firm position opposing assisted suicide. Rabbi Elliot Dorff , rector at the University of Judaism, wrote a responsum on behalf of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinic Assembly , which resolutely affirms the traditional stance. After an exhaustive discussion of the moral, legal and psychological rationales involved in this painful question, the conclusion is lucid and absolute. A Jew may not commit suicide, ask others to help in committing suicide, or assist in the suicide of'someone else.