A Chinese-language international TV station called New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV) recently broadcast a news item on Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv's adamant prohibition of Jews deriving any benefit from Chinese organ harvesting, even in life-threatening situations.
Elyashiv, the most respected halachic authority among haredi Lithuanian Jewry, ruled over a month ago that it was forbidden to use organs harvested from members of the Falun Gong, a spiritual movement that is being persecuted by the Chinese Communist regime.
Although Elyashiv did not mention the Falun Gong by name, he said it was a desecration of God's name for Jews to exploit the moral corruption of the Chinese regime, which kills political prisoners with the aim of turning a profit by selling their heart, kidney, lungs and other organs.
NTDTV, which calls itself "one of the few sources of uncensored news for the Chinese people," thought its hundreds of millions of viewers would be interested in learning what Judaism has to say about organ trafficking. JPOST
The Chinese TV broadcast of Rav Elyashiv's adamant ruling that it is a desecration of G-d's name to use organs taken from political prisoners -- is a sanctification of G-d's name -- and shows that Orthodox Judaism is a "Light unto the Nations."
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
9 comments:
Wow, that's incredible. Good for him. :)
if it were my loved one i wouldnt care.
More nasty crap on the streets of San Francisco tomorrow, in case anyone is interested.
great perspectives you have
Anonymous: if it were my loved one i wouldnt care.
Would you also be willing to personally kill the "donor" and take his organ? If not, then you are a hypocrite.
Moshe Feiglin and Michael Fuah, both of Manhigut Yehudit, have written excellent articles on this subject (Jewish ethics vis-a-vis the Chinese government's atrocities against the Falun Gong):
The Moral Matrix (English)
by Moshe Feiglin
Israeli, Chinese, and Jewish (Hebrew)
by Michael Fuah
While he was on the subject, he should have urged all Jews to sign their organ donor cards.
i thought it was a double kiddush hashem. in addition to what you mentioned, the other kiddush hashem was that rabbis from different communities could actually agree on this.
http://agmk.blogspot.com/2007/06/good-day-for-orthodoxy-in-israel.html
i do wonder about the claim of "hundreds of millions of viewers." do that many chinese actually have televisions?
Rabbi Elyahisv has also recently come out in full support of the bone marrow donation program at http://www.giftoflife.org/
see page 33 of the July 2007 http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:tYF4CakzwkMJ:www.5tjt.net/pdfs/20070706_
Issue.pdf+elyashiv+%22bone+marrow+transplant%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=us
Which is the same as http://www.5tjt.net/pdfs/20070706_Issue.pdf
Gift Of Life
In a letter to the leadership of the
Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation,
Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, shlita, who
lives in Jerusalem and is revered by
Orthodox Jews throughout the world,
noted the fact that donated bone marrow
has "saved the lives of our Jewish
brethren." Rabbi Elyashiv said that
"the z'chus of saving even one Jewish
life will result in a blessing for the
donors."
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