Rabbi Randall Konigsburg
Temple Sinai of Hollywood, Florida
SERMON FRIDAY NIGHT : PARSHA VAYERA 5758
(Reprinted by Permission)
SMABBAT SHALOM
This Shabbat, tomorrow morning, we will read in the Torah one of the most famous and important stories in the whole Bible. We will read about Akedat Yitzchak, the binding of Isaac. Abraham, in response to the call of G-d, prepares to sacrifice his only remaining son, the child of his old age, on the alter of G-d.
We a1 I know the story well, how at the very last second, as the knife is poised above the neck of Isaac, an angel stops Abraham and a ram is offered in place of the child. We are informed, that child sacrifice is never to be practiced in Judaism, that our G-d does not require the blood of children to know the faith of the parents.
We do not talk very 1nuc11 today about sacrifices. Not of children, not of rams nor about anything else.
We live in an age where what is ours, is ours. We worked for it, we earned it, and we deserve it. No one has the right to ask us to give anything up. The best we ever do is ask people to make donations, as we say, "until it hurts". We have very little understanding of what it means to make a sacrifice. And yet, in congregations all over the country, in synagogues, churches and mosques, there are spiritual leaders who this weekend, are asking their congregations to sign and to make perhaps the ultimate sacrifice. This weekend, has been designated for increased awareness of the need for Organ Donors.
We don't like to talk very much about organ donation. It has all the elements that we usually try to avoid.
It about deals with death, our own death or the death of someone we love. It has to do with what seems to be a desecration of the body, burying a person who is not whole. It has to do with our own defense of our bodies, our internal organs, that which is most essentially "ours". Organ donation is something read about in the news, something we cheer about when it saves the life of another, but it is very rare that we talk about it concerning ourselves.
The first thing I always teach about organ donation is that it is LEGAL according to Jewish Law. This is surprising to many Jews. After all, we believe that someone who is dead must be quickly buried in the ground. Our tradition does not allow for autopsies nor donating our bodies for science. There was a case, not long ago that a woman refused a medically required amputation because it would mean that she would not be buried whole. How can we say that Judaism allows organ donation which requires defacing the body after death and burial with pasts missing?
The reality is, not only is organ donation legal in Judaism, it is considered a very great Mitzvah. And this is not just in liberal Jewish circles, but even in the most right-wing branches of our movement. There is no Halachic authority, in any branch of Judaism, that forbids organ donation. Why? Why is the law so clear on this issue? It is because the Torah is so clear on this issue.
We read in the book of Vayikra, "You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor." -It is a prime mitzvah in Judaism, that we have to be concerned for the welfare of others. Maimonides himself explains this Mitzvah saying, "Anyone who is able to save a life, but fails to do so, violates this Mitzvah." Simple and clear. Saving the life of another is a fundamental principle in Jewish Law.

Modern commentators bring this responsibility for the lives of others into modern language. Rabbi Isaac
Klein, in his collection of Jewish Law writes, "There is no greater K'vod HaMet (honor to the deceased) than to bring healing to the living." According to Rabbi Klein, if a person who has died, can save the life of someone else, what better honor could there be to the one who is deceased? What greater accomplishment could they perform?
My teacher, Rabbi Elliot Dorff, of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, writes, "The overriding principles of honoring the dead, (K'vod haMet) and saving lives (Pikuach Nefesh) work in tandem. That is, saving a person’s life is so sacred a value in Judaism that if a person's organ can be used to save someone else's life, it is actually an honor to the deceased." Here too, according to Rabbi Dorff, if saving a life is one of the overriding principles of Judaism, than even for the dead, there is honor in fulfilling this
Mitzvah.
Rabbi David Golinkin, the Chairman of the Law Committee for the Masosti Movement in Israel, has written, "It is not merely permissible for a Jew to bequeath his organs for transplantation following is death, it is a Mitzvah for him to do so, in order to save one life or several lives." Rabbi Golinkin reminds us that Organ donation does not just save one person, but different organs can be used to heal many different people. In Judaism, if you save one life, it is as if you have saved an entire world. How much more favored it must be to, at one time, save many lives?
In this country, Rabbi Joseph Prouser, who wrote the legal opinion for our movement's Law and
Standards Committee, said in his Teshuva, "The preservation of human life is obligatory, not optional.
Since all conflicting halakhic duties are suspended when human lives are at stake ...
consent MUST be granted for post mortem organ donation when requested by doctors or hospitals for use in lifesaving transplantation procedures ... This applies to the individual in anticipation of his or her own death, as well as to the health care proxies or next of kin whenever they are legally empowered to make such decisions on behalf of the deceased." When it comes to saving lives, It is everyone's business to help save the lives of others.
Mr. Ken Trachy, the director of Education, at the University of Miami Department of Transplantation, asked me, this year, to write a letter to the Rabbis of South Florida asking them to participate in this
Organ Donation Shabbat. He shared with me that there are 53,000 people waiting for a transplant in this country. 500 are here in South Florida. But everyday, nine people will die while waiting for an organ to become available. The technology is here that can help people life long and productive lives after a transplant, there just aren't enough organs to go around. Every donor thus can make a difference between life and death.
A good friend of mine, was one of these people waiting for a transplant. His liver was destroyed by disease, and he needed a new one to save his life. As the old liver failed, his skin began to have that yellow jaundiced look. On his belt was a beeper. Each and every day, he prayed that the hospital would beep him and tell him that a suitable liver had become available. He was prepared to drop what he was doing and fly to whatever hospital would be doing the surgery. He waited almost two years, until it was almost too late to save his life.
Many of us remember the early days of transplants, when the success rate was very low. We have come a long way from those days, almost 30 years ago. We now do multiple organ transplants, transplants for infants, and for the heart. We can transplant, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, skin and even eyes. In some cases, the success rate is over 90% and still climbing as new methods are tried to prevent rejection.
And the reasons for not donating are also decreasing. The body of a organ or tissue donor is always treated with care and respect. There are no charges for the procedure to the donor or to his family for the donation. The donation procedure does not delay the funeral arrangements. And most important of all,
There are now studies that show that organ donation actually helps to shorten the time needed by members of a bereaved family to recover from their loss. That such good should come out of the death of someone they love, is a comfort to those who are left behind.

program. I can not make the decision for anyone. So first get the information on what the program is all about.
Next, talk to your family. The reality of our world is that even if you sign a donor card, with witnesses and all , if your family objects, they may not act on the donation. It is crucial that your family know what your wishes are and how you want them to be filled. Having the support of our family is most important. If there is any discussion, feel free to come by and talk to me about the issues. Perhaps I can help find the answers that will make everyone feel at ease over the decision.
Third, sign a donor card and carry it with you. It shows that you have thought about Organ Donation and that you have made a decision to donate. In Florida, when you renew your driver's license, you can have it marked that you wish to be an organ donor. If you have any other advance Medical directives, make sure that your decision to be an organ donor is mentioned there as well. You can choose which organs you wish to donate, and which organs you would not want donated. It is not an all or nothing deal. Just mark your decision on your donor card and make your wishes known to your family.
It may happen that the occasion to use our organs may never arise. Certain illnesses and time limit our ability to be a donor. But if the time comes that this great and wonderful sacrifice can be made, we will have made the decision easier for our family, and we will have save the life of another. What more could we ask for at the time of our death? Maybe we think we don't want to think about it. Maybe we think we will live forever, and maybe, just maybe we will. But if our death call bring life to others, what greater act of caring and concern could we perform.
Let us not wait for others to offer in our place. Make the commitment to get the facts and make a decision. It is permissible for Jews to donate, it is a Mitzvah and it brings life to others. Our final act as
Jews may just turn out to be the most important event in our lives. May G-d guide us to a decision that will be right for us and for our family, as we say ...
AMEN AND SHABBAT SHALOM