Rosh Hashanah 2009 - South African Jewish Board of Deputies

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JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009it is not obligatory for doctors to administermedication to prolong life and suffering. In the caseof Mike, the artificial ventilation with oxygen canjustifiably be construed as administering medicationto prolong life of a patient who cannot be cured andcannot live much longer. Withdrawal of life supportwould therefore be justified, not only on humanitariangrounds but also within the context of RabbiFeinstein’s injunction.Case no. 2Sarah and her husband, Sam, had immigrated toSouth Africa from Germany in the mid-1930s. Aftersome years, Sarah contracted a malignant illness towhich she ultimately succumbed. She had stipulatedin her will that she wished to be cremated – ananathema to Orthodox Judaism. Her family, whopracticed Orthodox Judaism, expressed extremediscomfort about her request and insisted on atraditional burial. This was reinforced by the fact thatSarah’s father had been an Orthodox Rabbi. However,the request of an individual stipulated in a will isregarded as sacrosanct and should be respected.The doctor counseled the family at great length,ultimately drawing their attention to the fact thatmany of Sarah’s acquaintances and family membershad perished in the crematoria of the Nazi deathcamps, and that she was manifesting what was referredto as ‘survivor guilt’, and desired the same fate. Thefamily gained insight into this dynamic and agreed tothe cremation that was then to be conducted by analternative congregation.The term ‘survivor guilt’ has been documentedby Holocaust commentators, such as Andy Doullardin 2005 in a lecture course on ‘interdisciplinaryPerspectives in the Holocaust’. The dynamic whichoperates in such cases was verbalized in thesewords… “why am I still alive when others haveperished…?” Survivor guilt is also connected to anunconscious feeling of powerlessness in the face ofatrocities perpetrated against loved ones.For a Superior Service in:• Sectional Title Management• Rent Collection• Property ManagementWe care for your propertyClosed on Shabbat and Yom TovSIDNEY NEIMANNP.O. Box 46362, Orange Grove, Johannesburg, 2119Tel: (011) 485-5444 • Fax: (011) 485-5300Cell: 082-457-9764E-mail: sidney@linsid.co.zaNOTES1 Hancock, K et al, Palliative Medicine 2007, Vol. 21,pp507-5172 Jacobovits I. ‘Ethical and moral issues in contemporarymedical practice’. Proceedings of an in-house conference.Faculty of Medicine, University of Cape Town, 7-8 August,1985. Edited by Professor S R Benatar, p42.3 Ibid.4 Fallowfield, I J et al: Truth may hurt but deceit hurts more.Communication in palliative care. Palliative Medicine, 2002:16 (4): pp297 – 3035 Weinreich, et al. ‘Communication with dying patients withinthe spectrum of medical care from terminal diagnosis todeath’. Arch. Intern. Med. 2001: 161 (6): pp868 - 746 Hancock, K et al, Palliative Medicine 2007, Vol. 21,pp507-5177 MacMillan (N.Y.) 1969.8 M. Abeles. ‘Features of Judaism for careers when lookingafter Jewish patients’, Palliative Medicine, 1991, Vol. 5,pp. 201-2059 Feinstein, M, Responsa: Iggrot Moshe. Hebrew MishpatPart II. No. 73: 1, in Rosner Fred. ‘Rabbi Moshe Feinstein onthe Treatment of the Terminally ill’, Judaism. Vol. 37. No.21955. p191AFRICA'S ONLYJEWISH CULTURALJOURNALMAKES AWONDERFUL GIFTFOR ALL OCCASIONS.WHY NOT TAKE OUT AGIFTSUBSCRIPTION?47
JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY*Charlotte CohenThe conversation was intelligent and stimulating.Spoken quite casually, and despite the fact that I hadnever heard it used in a sentence before, one wordseemed to fit perfectly. The word was‘anthropomorphic.’Upon asking what it meant, the explanation I wasgiven was that, in that context, it was: “when God isdescribed as a human being”. The dictionaryconfirmed the explanation: “attributing human formor personality to God”.I wondered whether I would ever have occasionto use such a word. The opportunity arose at aconference, when I used it to introduce two favoritestories to illustrate the topic of the day.The first story concerns an old man who pleads inhis prayers every day: “Please God, let me win thelottery! Please God! Please! Let me win the lottery!”This continues day in and day out for ages andeventually one of the angels goes to God and says:“Why don’t let him win the lottery? After all, he’sbeen praying like this for years, and he’s already 87years old; and really, how much longer has he got togo?”“Look,” says God, “I’d like him to win it. In fact,I want him to win it. But he never buys a ticket!”The second story finds us at the scene of a flood- a man is standing chest deep in water.Someone floats by on a log. “Take my hand” hesays to the man, “I’ll pull you onto the log.”“No, says the man, “I have faith. God will saveme.”When the water is up to his shoulders, a smallboat sails past.“We’re throwing you a life-belt!” shouts someonefrom the boat, “Swim towards it and we’ll pull youup on to the boat!”“No” says the man, “I have faith in God. He willsave me.”With the water already up to his chin, a helicopterflies by: “We’re lowering a rope-ladder! Grab it andwe’ll haul you up!”“No!” gurgles the man, “I have faith! God willsave me!”Eventually the water rises over his head and hedrowns.“I don’t understand” he complains bitterly toGod, “I led an exemplary life. I obeyed all Yourcommandments. Why didn’t You save me? Why didCharlotte Cohen is a frequent contributor of essays,poems and short stories to a wide range of SouthAfrican publications, both Jewish and general.You let me drown?“What’s the matter with you?” says God, “I sentyou a log and a boat and a helicopter!”What these stories illustrate is that, besides thefact that we often don’t make the opportunity; wedon’t even take it when it presents itself. Furthermore,many of us fail to even see the opportunity. However,what is worse, even when actually presented with theopportunity, we do not trouble to make use of it.A large sign in that conference room read: “Weare all faced with great opportunities – often disguisedas impossible situations or hard work.”They say some people make things happen, somepeople watch things happen and some people wonderwhat on earth happened. Success stories repeatthemselves constantly: Luck is where preparationand opportunity meet.An opportunity suggests something better in thefuture, but needing some sort of immediate change.To make an opportunity requires vision and ingenuity;to take one, needs courage and hard work. Sometimes,even while recognising the opportunity, we are toofrightened to take advantage of it – scared of failingor making fools of ourselves..Many of us are inclined to think of opportunity asa rare occurrence, a chance in a million, a ‘once in alifetime’. We miss the fact that every single day is, initself, a miniature lifetime in which we are presentedwith countless opportunities – to make a friend, finda new interest, gain a new perspective, experiencesomething which will enhance our life or discoversomething which will add dimension to it. Or to righta wrongIn an ‘anthropomorphic’ sense, opportunities arelike receiving personalised gifts from God. Howwould you feel if you gave someone a really valuablegift and it was never used (our talents also appear onthat list of gifts)? How would you feel if your giftwere never even acknowledged? Or the wrappingnot even removed to see what was inside? A diamondring does not always come in an elegant little box. Itcan also be wrapped in old newspaper.We know for certain that the Jewish religiouscalendar gives us, with faithful regularity, a veryspecial opportunity every single year. Every JewishNew Year allows us another opportunity to re-connectwith our past, re-affirm and re-evaluate our presentand re-assess our future. It provides us with theopportunity to reposition ourselves and to renew ourvalues It gives us an opportunity for introspectionbetween the New Year and the Day of Atonement -to think things through, to hold out a hand ofreconciliation and to put right mistakes of the past.It gives us the golden opportunity to apologise for48
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