Jewish Medical Ethics: A Comparative and Historical Study of the Jewish Religious Attitude to Medicine and Its Practice

by Immanuel Jakobovits

This noted work is the first comprehensive treatise on the subject - and indeed on the history of religious medical ethics in general. Tracing the development of Jewish and other religious views on medico-moral problems from antiquity to present day, it is profusely annotated by references to the original sources in religious, medical, legal and historical literature. The subjects treated include abortion, artificial insemination, birth control, euthanasia, autopsies, eugenics, sterilization, the treatment of patients on the Sabbath and the attitude to faith healing and irrational medical beliefs. Several chapters are devoted to the physician in Jewish religious law - his studies and privileges, his license and legal responsibilities, his professional charges and the admission of his evidence. Originally published in 1959 this edition was revised in 1975 with recent developments in Jewish medical ethics which traces the evolution of Jewish law, as revealed in rabbinical judgments and discussions, through the on-going process of applying timeless principles and precedents to the changing social and scientific conditions of the times. A resourceful reference this historical work is not only a source, but a guide for many students, scholars and rabbis who are constantly questioning, researching and re-evaluating these ethics in the ever changing society in which we live.

465 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits (8 February 1921 – 31 October 1999) was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. Prior to this, he had served as Chief Rabbi of Ireland and as rabbi of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue in New York City. In addition to his official duties he was regarded as an authority in medical ethics from a Jewish standpoint. He was knighted in 1981 and became the first Chief Rabbi to enter the House of Lords in 1988 as Baron

Jakobovits was a firm adherent of the "German-Jewish" Torah im Derech Eretz philosophy, having a broad knowledge of religious subjects as well as secular culture and philosophy. This made him a unique spokesperson for Orthodox Judaism, as he was able to transmit ideas to a wide audience which would otherwise not have achieved dissemination.

Rabbi Jakobovits was the most prominent figure in 20th century Jewish medical ethics, a subdiscipline in applied ethics which he virtually created, and a pioneer in religious bioethics. His speciality was the interaction between medical ethics and halakha. Thanks to his academic training in Ireland, Rabbi Jakobovits approached his comprehensive volume, Jewish Medical Ethics, in light of Roman Catholic medical ethics, with which he often compares Jewish ethics. Whether developing or disputing his analysis, subsequent Jewish bioethicists have utilised his work on abortion, euthanasia, the history of Jewish medical ethics, palliative care, treatment of the sick, and professional duties. Likewise, he is credited with popularizing the fact that Judaism supports the nearly absolute sanctity of life.

His political stance was conservative, and he was particularly close to Margaret Thatcher. When a Church of England report titled Faith in the City was published in December 1985 criticising Mrs. Thatcher's policies, Jakobovits responded by attacking its underlying philosophy.[2] Jakobovits argued that work rather than welfare should be the over-riding aim of government policy: "Cheap labour is better than a free dole".[7] More controversially, Jakobovits contended that inner-city black people should learn from Jewish experiences in America. There, he argued, Jews had worked themselves out of poverty, educated themselves, integrated into the host culture and nurtured a "trust in and respect for the police, realising that our security as a minority depended on law and order being maintained".[7] Jakobovits also took a conservative view on trade unions, criticised "Faith in the City" for not mentioning the role of trade unions, arguing that "The selfishness of workers in attempting to secure better conditions at the cost of rising unemployment and immense public misery can be just as morally indefensible as the rapaciousness of the wealthy in exploiting the working class".

Within Judaism, he held mildly Zionistic views. He maintained that sooner or later Israel would need to negotiate the territory it conquered during the Six Day War; which made him a controversial figure, as he mentioned these views publicly.

Reviews

[Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey I finally read a book that no one on GR has read yet! Not too surprising. I read this for a talk Im giving on Yom Kippur. In 1959 it was the first serious review ever of this topic. I don't recommend it unless you are REALLY interested. But there were certain delightful tidbits to be learned. Examples:
- it was forbidden, per the Talmud, to speak at all during meals, even to say "health!" after a sneeze, lest food block the gullet...but attention to this lapsed when meals were no longer consumed while reclining
- it is against Jewish law for a Jew to live on a town that has no doctor
- it is forbidden to hasten a persons death, even on their deathbed; specific actions barred include putting a shovel on the arm of their chair (which would remind them of their grave to be dug)...!