The Greatest Gift

In a world with much evil and darkness, it is important to sometimes focus attention on a ray of light that breaks through. I saw this incredible story about a Palestinian boy who was mistakenly killed by Israeli soldiers, and his parents' decision to donate his organs - to Israelis. This is the kind of thing you see once in a while that restores your faith in humanity. That a family can suffer such a cruel blow and still resist the harboring of bitterness - while ensconced in a culture that encourages such bitterness - is absolutely remarkable. I wish nothing but the best for that family, as well as those of the children they saved.

Another aspect of the story is how organs are in short supply in Israel, because of a lack of donors. According to Jewish law, the sanctity of the human body must be preserved upon death and burial - Nivul Hamet. If there is one aspect of Jewish law that I am vehemently opposed to, this is it. For one thing, I don't see how a Jewish God would hold somebody in lower judgment for having done a good deed. Also, it is in conflict with two other important aspects of Judaism. The first is Tzedakah (charity), which is fundamental to Judaism. I can't think of a higher form of Tzedakah than granting someone else life itself. Which leads to Pikuah Nefesh (to save a life), which dictates that exceptions can be made to almost any Jewish law in order to preserve life. If you have been stranded in the desert for two weeks, and the only potential food around is a wild boar, Halacha says, "Bon appetit." Jewish ethicists are hesitant on the subject of organ donation because of issues regarding when the organs are taken out (if the body isn't dead yet, is the doctor actually killing it with the procedure?), as well as if the donated organs are for a specific recipient (who represents the Pikuah Nefesh reason for the procedure) as opposed to just going to an organ bank. In my mind, organ donation is a no-brainer, regardless of what Halacha says.