Jewish Ethics Teachings on Bioethics, Environmental and Sexual Issues

Jewish Ethics

12 SOR I & II
Judaism Religious Tradition
Depth Study

Monday, 28 June 2010

Syllabus Point

•describe and explain Jewish
ethical teachings on
bioethics OR environmental
ethics OR sexual ethics
2


•The ethical system that operates
within Judaism is represented by
codes of positive and negative
commandments.
•These codes study and analyse
core ethical concepts.


• Under this system of ethics, one acts
in a certain way because that is in the
halachah (Jewish Law) and the
halachah is God’s will.


• The fundamental values that underpin
the ethical and moral teachings of
Judaism can be found in the lived
experience of the halachah, and are
core values associated with the rituals
of the Jewish holy days. (eg Pesach)


•Jewish ethics make demands on
Jews to act in certain ways on a
wide range of social,
environmental, economic and
personal issues.


•The basis of Jewish ethics is that
every human is created in the image
of God.
•The sacred scriptures contain the
ultimate authority on ethical matters.


•The Torah (which consists of the
first five books of the Jewish Bible)
is the primary source of Jewish
ethics.


• The Torah gives a detailed set of
practical guidelines and ideals of the
type outlined in the Ten
Commandments (found in Exodus
and Deuteronomy).
•Traditional Judaism revolves around
the legal traditions of halachah.


• This starts with the 613 mitzvot
(commandments) concerned with
ethical issues, social issues and
religious rituals.
• Ones still relevant today provide a
pattern of behaviour that Jews see
as a reflection of God himself.


•They can be divided into two sections:
-those about relationships between
fellow humans
-those about relationships with
humans and God.


•Since the mitzvot are not all straight
forward, oral commentaries were
developed for interpretations, called
the Oral Torah.


•These interpretations were written
down in the Mishnah. As time
passed, reinterpretations of the
Mishnah were written in the Gemara.
Together, the Mishnah and the
Gemara form the Talmud.
• The Torah and Talmud give guidance
in all situations of Jewish life.

•The word ʻethicsʼ is not
used in Jewish sacred
literature, because it is
not seen as something
separate from ordinary
life.


•Ethics are embedded in everything a
Jew thinks and believes, so the
notion of ethics is taken for granted
as having relevance to all Jewish
beliefs, practices and actions.


•Refer to the concept of
“Tikka Olum” from Year
11
- help one person, help
the world


•Jewish thinkers believe that
human life is precious and
that the need to preserve it is
more important than religious
prohibitions.
•Where life is at stake, normal
rules and customs may be
disregarded.

For Example….
•Judaism forbids people to do manual
work on the Shabbat, but this rule
can be set aside if a life is at stake,
or if there is even the remote
possibility of saving a life.


For Example….
•Even saving a few minutes of a life is
still saving a life…….


Science/ Bioethics


The 6 Principles
1. Human Life is important- it has
intrinsic value
2.Therefore the preservation of human
life is paramount-highest moral
imperative.
3. All human lives are equal-each life
has the same value. 21


The 6 Principles
4. All life belongs to God- our lives are
not ours.
5. The sacredness of human life- God
in us.
6. Therefore all actions towards others
are the ‘manifestation of our imitation
of God’ 22


•In scientiﬁc discoveries related to
cloning and genetic engineering,
Jews believe that God created an
unﬁnished world, and that it is
humanityʼs responsibility to bring it to
greater perfection.


•They do not see recent discoveries
in genetic engineering as a
forbidden act which tampers with
nature.


•Orthodox Jews object to birth control
because it is the same as ʻspilling
seedʼ which is forbidden by the
Talmud. They do not object to sexual
intercourse where , conception is not
possible, for example where a woman
is unable to have children, or is
already pregnant.

•However, some Jewish authorities
see the use of the contraception pill
as acceptable, since it does not
involve ʻspilling seedʼ.


Abortion
•The Torah does not speciﬁcally forbid
abortion, but it is generally accepted
in Judaism that it is a serious offense
and may only be permitted in certain
circumstances, to save the life or
mental health of the mother.

Abortion continued
•It may not be used as a form of after-
the-fact birth control or for economic
reasons.
-> “unborn baby is a potential life”


Euthanasia
•Jewish law strongly condemns
euthanasia. Judaism teaches that your
body is not yours alone: you are part
of humanity, and God created you.
•Refer to 2 Samuel 1:9–17 (about the
death/ ʻmurderʼ of King Saulʼ)

• “And he said to me ‘Stand beside me and kill me,
for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still
lingers.’ 10 So I stood beside him and killed him,
because I was sure that he could not live after he
had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his
head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I
have brought them here to my lord.”
• 16 “And David said to him, ‘Your blood be on
your head, for your own mouth has testified
against you, saying, I have killed the LORD's
anointed’”.

•It is Godʼs right to decide on the
exact moment of death.
•People cannot ʻplay Godʼ.
•Note use of life support for ʻdeadʼ
patients->not seen as ʻeuthanasiaʼ


Sexual ethics


•Jews believe that human sexuality
is a gift from God, who created man
and woman to live together. (refer to
marriage)
•Judaism does not value celibacy,
but endorses marriage and
procreation.

•NOTE: The Seventh
Commandment of ‘Do not commit
Adultery’ (Ex. 20:14)

34


•Contraception contradicts/seems to be
at odds with the instruction of ‘Be
fruitful and multiply’ (Genesis 1:28).

35


•Also refer to the story of Onan
(Genesis 38:8-9) where Onan had to
sleep with his sister in law so that she
may have children (her husband had
been killed).
He withdraws prematurely and is then
punished by God for disobedience!
36


•As a result, strict Judaism
discourages any form of
contraception but liberal Judaism
may teach that it is OK in certain
situations/circumstances eg if the
family already has several children
37


•NB- sex outside of marriage is
forbidden .: contraception in this
circumstance is forbidden

38


•Womenʼs rights are safe-guarded;
coercive sexual relations between
husband and wife are forbidden,
and Israeli law recognises marital
rape as a crime.


•Sexuality is at all times associated
with the establishment of a family,
with love, mutual consent and
sensitivity to physical needs.


•Judaism teaches that the sexual act
must be judged in the context in
which it happens. If it is performed
with the right partner, at the right
time, for the right purpose, it is an act
of holiness. In fact, marriage is called
kiddushin (holiness) in Hebrew.

•According to the Talmud (Yevamot
62B), a man without a wife is
incomplete, and cannot experience
true goodness.
•Blessing at Bar Mitzvah
->knowledge of Torah, a good
marriage, and a worthwhile life

•The Torah uses a speciﬁc verb to
state that ʻAdam knew his wifeʼ,
implying that sex is about more than
a physical act. It entails a
relationship, a partnership with
knowledge of, and sympathy with,
another person.

•The Hebrew word for love is ahav,
which comes from two Aramaic words
meaning ʻI giveʼ.
•NB-no physical relationships 2 weeks/
month-work on the “partnership” and
“friendship” side of the relationship
->Mikveh or ritual cleansing

•Divorce is regrettable but OK
•Bill of Divorce- Get
Orthodox-Rabinic Court
Liberal- Secular Court
• Refer to Deuteronomy 24


• “When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds
no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in
her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her
hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of
his house, 2 and if she goes and becomes another man's
wife, 3 and the latter man hates her and writes her a
certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out
of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his
wife, 4 then her former husband, who sent her away, may not
take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for
that is an abomination before the LORD. And you shall not
bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you
for an inheritance.” 46


Deut. 24:5
•“When a man is newly married, he
shall not go out with the army or be
liable for any other public duty. He
shall be free at home one year to be
happy with his wife whom he has
taken.”
47


Homosexuality
•In traditional Jewish teaching,
homosexuality is strongly condemned.
•Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13


Lev. 18:22
•‘You shall not lie with a male as
with a woman; it is an
abomination.’

49


But in Liberal Judaism...
• Much debate about this topic
• Modern Liberal Judaism affirms the following belief:
★ The image of God is reflected by every human
being and must always be cherished and affirmed
★ Jews have been and must be sensitive to all forms
of discrimination and prejudice
★ Because homosexual Jews have experienced the
anti-semitism known to all Jews and because of
their sexuality, have experienced discrimination,
they are accepted as any Jew 50


Sexual Ethics and the 10 Commandments

•No Adultery (ie any form of sex
outside of marriage)
•No lying...by-product of being
unfaithful? (to yourself, your partner
or God)
51


Sexual Ethics and the 10 Commandments

•Note the concept of ‘stealing’ (theft of
innocence/unwilling sex partner etc)
•Not being jealous or ‘to covert’ also
relates to limiting sexual desire
outside of marriage.
52


•end


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