Judaism: Life and Death Lecture Notes

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering Jewish beliefs on the sanctity of life, death, creation, stewardship, abortion, and euthanasia.

Sanctity of life

The belief that all life is special, unique, and sacred as it is created by God in his own image.

Pikuach Nefesh

The obligation to save a human life, which involves putting aside all but 3 mitzvot to do so.

Genesis 1

The Torah passage stating God created man in his own image, giving human life special value.

Thou shall not kill

One of the 10 commandments used to show that taking a life is a sin.

Olam Ha-Ba

The Jewish term for the afterlife, meaning "the world to come" or where souls may go after death.

L'Chaim

A Jewish toast meaning "to life," reflecting the tradition that a good life on Earth is more important than the afterlife.

Gan Eden

The Garden of Eden, described as a paradise where righteous souls might go after death.

Olam Ha-ze

The term used for current life on Earth.

Gehenna

A place of punishment and torture where souls might go to be cleansed after death; only immoral souls stay permanently.

Shema

A prayer said as a person is dying to show belief in only one God, the creator.

Plain shroud

A wrapping used for the dead to show that the rich and poor are alike.

Mourners' tear

A tear made by mourners in their clothes to symbolize grief that can never be repaired.

Mitzvot

The 613 commandments or good deeds written in the Torah.

Orthodox creation view

The belief that creation happened exactly as told in the Torah's Book of Genesis.

Reform creation view

A liberal stance that views the creation story as a metaphor and aligns with scientific approaches like evolution.

Stewardship

The duty to protect the environment on behalf of God.

Bal Tashchit

A mitzvah meaning "do not destroy" which prevents the destruction of the planet.

Story of Honi and the Carob Tree

A story holding the message that we should think long term and care for the planet to secure it for those who come after us.

Dominion

Understood in Judaism as having responsibility rather than dominance; the idea that humans are tasked with repairing the world.

Tikkun Olam

A concept stating that humanity is tasked with repairing and perfecting the world.

Mishnah (Abortion)

A text that states a fetus is not human until it is born.

Euthanasia

The act of killing or permitting the death of a person suffering from a serious illness; generally viewed as murder in the Jewish faith.

Talmud (Dying position)

A text stating that "One who is in a dying position is regarded as a living person in all respects."