Do Not Stand Idly By

Lo tachmod al dam rei’echa, ani Adonai.
Do not stand unmoving in the presence of your neighbor’s bleeding, I am Adonai. - Lev. 19:16

It is a mitzvah to register as an organ donor.

Even before the events of late March and early April, our congregation has actively supported The New Jersey Sharing Network (http://www.sharenj.org/) by participating in an organ donor Shabbat each year.  We have had speakers, put out brochures, and spoken from the bimah about the life-saving importance of registering as an organ donor.  Yet nothing has made the importance of this mitzvah more evident to me, as a rabbi, a Jew, a parent and a human being, then sharing with the Rothman family the personal miracle that they have experienced.

I am sorry.  Judaism has taught me better and I should have known.

The Conservative Movement has, for years, been far ahead; explicitly calling organ donation a mitzvah - a commandment.  Their reasoning, according to halakhah (Jewish law), follows from the quote from the holiness code above.  Interpreting the verse above, Maimonides, the medieval sage, said, “Anyone who is able to save a life, but fails to do so, violates 'You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor.'" (http://www.uscj.org/The_Mitzvah_of_Organ5455.html)  For Conservative Jews, organ donation is not an option, it is required.

The Halakhic Organ Donor Society (www.HODS.org) has been working hard in Orthodox circles to assert the primacy of the value of pikuach nefesh - the Jewish principle that states that virtually any other commandment (such as intact burial of the dead) is superseded by the possibility of saving a life.  Visit their website for an incredibly moving video by the families of organ donors.

Our Reform Movement has also advocated for organ donation - most recently though the Women of Reform Judaism’s Matan Chaim (“gift of lives”) program.  You can find out more answers to frequently asked questions about organ donation on the URJ site: http://urj.org//life/health/bioethics//?syspage=article&item_id=17160

As a rabbi, as a Jew, and a parent and a human being, I strongly urge you to put down this newsletter for now and return after you have registered to be an organ donor (http://www.donatelifenj.org/).  

Even more importantly, have a conversation with your family about organ donation.  Let them know what your wishes would be, should you ever find yourself in a position to become a donor.  Remember that even if you register, or make your wishes known in a “living will” (which you should have anyway), the final decision will rest with your next-of-kin, or whoever has your durable power of attorney for health care.  Tell them why it is important to you to donate, so they can fulfill your last request with confidence and understanding.  

In the morning prayers, we recite the eilu d’varim - a prayer which lists the things which are without a fixed limit.  The Sages saw l’viyat hameit - participating in the funeral rite - to be the ultimate mitzvah, because the person for whom you are performing the mitzvah has no way to reward you.  Becoming an organ donor is the converse of this value - when you can no longer be thanked, you still have much to give.

Please register now to be an organ donor.  There are lives at stake.


Rabbi Abraham