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Pikuach Nefesh
''Pikuach nefesh'' ( he, פקוח נפש, lit=watching over a soul) is the principle in Halakha (Jewish law) that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious rule of Judaism. In the event that a person is in critical danger, most ''mitzvot'', including those from the Ten Commandments of the Torah, become inapplicable if they would hinder the ability to save oneself or someone else in such a situation. However, there are certain exceptions; some rules and commandments may not be broken under any circumstances and thus sanction an act of self-sacrifice. Origin and interpretation Biblical source The Torah, in Leviticus 18:5, states simply: "You shall keep My statutes and My laws, which a person shall do and shall live by them. I am the ." Ezekiel 20:11 states the following: "And I gave them my statutes, and showed them my judgements, which if a man do, he shall even live in them." Talmudic discussion In the Talmud (Yoma 85b), Samuel of Nehardea interpret ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandments ('' mitzvot''), subsequent Talmudic and rabbinic laws, and the customs and traditions which were compiled in the many books such as the ''Shulchan Aruch''. ''Halakha'' is often translated as "Jewish law", although a more literal translation of it might be "the way to behave" or "the way of walking". The word is derived from the root which means "to behave" (also "to go" or "to walk"). ''Halakha'' not only guides religious practices and beliefs, it also guides numerous aspects of day-to-day life. Historically, in the Jewish diaspora, ''halakha'' served many Jewish communities as an enforceable avenue of law – both civil and religious, since no differentiation of them exists in classical Judaism. Since the Jewish Enlightenment (''Hask ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jewish Virtual Library
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The people of the Kingdom of Israel and the ethnic and religious group known as the Jewish people that descended from them have been subjected to a number of forced migrations in their history" and Hebrews of historical Israel and Judah. Jewish ethnicity, nationhood, and religion are strongly interrelated, "Historically, the religious and ethnic dimensions of Jewish identity have been closely interwoven. In fact, so closely bound are they, that the traditional Jewish lexicon hardly distinguishes between the two concepts. Jewish religious practice, by definition, was observed exclusively by the Jewish people, and notions of Jewish peoplehood, nation, and community were suffused with faith in the Jewish God, the practice of Jewish (religious) l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Jerusalem Post
''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper was bought by Mirkaei Tikshoret, a diversified Israeli media firm controlled by investor Eli Azur. In April 2014, Azur acquired the newspaper ''Maariv''. The newspaper is published in English and previously also printed a French edition. Originally a left-wing newspaper, it underwent a noticeable shift to the political right in the late 1980s. From 2004 editor David Horovitz moved the paper to the center, and his successor in 2011, Steve Linde, pledged to provide balanced coverage of the news along with views from across the political spectrum. In April 2016, Linde stepped down as editor-in-chief and was replaced by Yaakov Katz, a former military reporter for the paper who previously served as an adviser to former Prime Minister Naftali ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinuy
In Halakha, a shinuy (Hebrew: , with variant English spellings) is an unconventional method of performing an act that is normally forbidden when there may be justification for performing such an act, for example, when there is a medical need. A shinuy is generally performed when there is not complete danger to life, but a lesser danger, such as to limb. A shinuy transforms an act from one that is biblically forbidden to one that is rabbinically prohibited, thereby making it less of an offense. This can be done by performing the act in a manner that makes it more difficult or less practical. Examples of a shinuy could be knocking a phone off the hook with one's elbow or pressing the buttons with one's knuckles. See also *Pikuach nefesh ''Pikuach nefesh'' ( he, פקוח נפש, lit=watching over a soul) is the principle in Halakha (Jewish law) that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious rule of Judaism. In the event that a person is in critical dang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North York General Hospital
North York General Hospital (NYGH) is a teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Primarily serving the North York district, as well as southern York Region, it offers acute care, ambulatory and long-term services at multiple sites. It is one of Canada's leading community academic hospitals and is affiliated with the University of Toronto. NYGH is one of the three constituent hospitals of the Peters-Boyd Academy of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. History North York General Hospital at Leslie Street and Sheppard Avenue was opened in 1968. The four founding partners were: Friends of North York General (later to become the North York General Hospital Foundation); the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE), a Canadian women's charitable organization; the Missionary Health Institute; and Volunteer Services. In 1960, a group of local citizens established the North Metropolitan Hospital Association to explore building a hospital to serve the growing area of N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
39 Categories Of Activity
The 39 Melakhot ( he, ל״ט אבות מלאכה, '' lamed-tet avot melakhah'', "39 categories of work") are thirty-nine categories of activity which Jewish law identifies as prohibited by biblical law on Shabbat. Many of these activities are also prohibited on the Jewish holidays listed in the Torah, although there are significant exceptions that permit carrying and preparing food under specific circumstances on holidays (except Yom Kippur). In addition to the 39 melakhot, certain other activities are forbidden on Shabbat due to rabbinic law. There are often disagreements between Orthodox Jews and Conservative Jews or other non-Orthodox Jews as to the practical observance of Shabbat. It is of note that the (strict) observance of Shabbat is often seen as a benchmark for orthodoxy and indeed has legal bearing on the way a Jew is seen by an Orthodox religious court regarding their affiliation to Judaism. The commandment The commandment to keep Shabbat as a day of rest is repeated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchatah
''Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchatah'', also pronounced ''Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchosoh'' ( he, שמירת שבת כהלכתה, , keeping Shabbat according to its law; published in English as ''Shemirath Shabbath''), is a book of halachah authored by Rabbi Yehoshua Yeshaya Neuwirth, which discusses the laws of Shabbat and Yom Tov, and is viewed by many as an authoritative work regarding these laws. Rabbi Neuwirth is a prominent student of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, and the book generally follows Rabbi Auerbach's opinions. The book discusses practical situations such as driving to a hospital on Shabbat in an emergency. The book rules in accordance with Rabbi Moses Isserles (the Rema), i.e. according to the practice of Ashkenazic Jews. Because the book is popular and Sephardic Jews wish to use it also, Rabbi Yehuda Lavi Ben-David wrote a commentary of notes called ''Badey Hashulchan'' ( he, בדי השלחן, , poles of the table) which delineates the opinions of Sephardic poskim. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yehoshua Neuwirth
Yehoshua Yeshaya Neuwirth ( he, יהושע ישעיה נויברט) (15 February 1927 – 11 June 2013) was an eminent Orthodox Jewish rabbi and ''posek'' (halakhic authority) in Jerusalem. He was one of the primary students of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and the author of a two-volume Hebrew language treatise, ''Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchatah'' — translated into English as ''Shemirath Shabbath: A practical guide to the observance of Shabbath'' — a compendium of the laws of Shabbat which is viewed by many as an authoritative work regarding these laws. Biography Rabbi Neuwirth was born in Berlin, Germany. His father Aharon served as rabbi in a number of German communities. After ''Kristallnacht'', he travelled to Belgium on the ''Kindertransport'' (children's convoy) but was rejoined by his parents in 1939. They settled in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. During the Second World War, the family lived in hiding, supported by the Resistance. During this time, Neuwirth had littl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein ( he, משה פײַנשטיין; Lithuanian pronunciation: ''Moshe Faynshteyn''; en, Moses Feinstein; March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was an American Orthodox rabbi, scholar, and ''posek'' (authority on ''halakha''—Jewish law). He has been called the most famous Orthodox Jewish legal authority of the twentieth century and his rulings are often referenced in contemporary rabbinic literature. Feinstein served as president of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis, Chairman of the Council of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of the Agudath Israel of America, and head of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem in New York. Widely acclaimed in the Orthodox world for his gentleness and compassion, Feinstein is commonly referred to simply as ''"Reb Moshe"'' (or ''"Rav Moshe"''). Biography Moshe Feinstein was born, according to the Hebrew calendar, on the 7th day of Adar, 5655 (traditionally the date of birth and death of the biblical Moshe) in Uzda, near Minsk, Belarus, then part of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Driving On Shabbat In Jewish Law
According to halacha, the operation of a motor vehicle constitutes multiple violations of the prohibited activities on Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath). Though Jewish law is based on texts that were written long before the existence of the automobile, when driving one performs various actions which the texts specifically prohibit. For example, the vehicle's ignition combusts fuel, which is considered to violate one of the 39 melachot, as well as creating a spark, which is likewise in violation of a related rabbinic (or possibly biblical) prohibition ("igniting a fire"). Modern vehicles also have many other electrical components, such as lights, that are turned on and off during the course of a vehicle's operation, often without the driver's awareness. calls on Jews to limit their travel during Shabbat, and the law of techum shabbat limits on the distance one may travel beyond the city/town where one is spending Shabbat, regardless of the method of transportation. However, many non-O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mattathias
Mattathias ben Johanan ( he, מַתִּתְיָהוּ הַכֹּהֵן בֶּן יוֹחָנָן, ''Mattīṯyāhū haKōhēn ben Yōḥānān''; died 166–165 BCE) was a Kohen (Jewish priest) who helped spark the Maccabean Revolt against the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. Mattathias's story is related in the deuterocanonical book of 1 Maccabees. Mattathias is accorded a central role in the story of Hanukkah and, as a result, is named in the Al HaNissim prayer Jews add to the Birkat Hamazon (grace after meals) and the Amidah during the festival's eight days. History Mattathias was from a rural priestly family from Modi'in. He was a son of John (Johanan) and grandson of Simeon the Hasmonite or son of Hasmon and hence known as the Hasmonean. Further back, he was the great-grandson of Asmon or Hasmonaeus, a Kohen of the lineage of Joarib known for being the fifth grandson of Idaiah, son of Joarib and grandson of Jachin, in turn a descendant of Phinehas, third High Priest o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
