Posted on 01/04/2013 1:37:22 PM PST by NYer
JERUSALEM, January 3, 2013, (LifeSiteNews.com) - Israel’s two chief rabbis have again issued a letter to all synagogue and community rabbis urging them to condemn abortion and to support the work of Efrat, the country’s pro-life organization.
In stronger language than they have used in their previous messages, Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger and Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Amar called the killing of the child in the womb “murder.”
“As in past,” the letter reads, “we call on all rabbis in Israel” to “raise in their words and sermons in synagogues…the severe prohibition of abortion.”
The chief rabbis called for an increased effort in making the wider public aware of the extreme seriousness involved in killing fetuses, which is like actual murder.
The chief rabbis time their letters condemning abortion to coincide with the reading of a portion of the Torah (Parashat) known as Shemot, which describes the genocidal attack on Hebrew newborn boys by the Egyptian pharaoh, and the efforts of the Hebrew midwives to save them.
Last year the rabbis wrote they were working to encourage births among the Jewish people and to prevent unnecessary abortions.
In previous years, the chief rabbis focused their letter on a passage of the Talmud, which states, “The redemption does not take place until all the souls are brought out of their storing place.” This, they say, means that widespread abortion in Israel is delaying the coming of the messiah.
Abortion in Israel is “a real epidemic, as tens of thousands of Jewish souls are being lost each year,” they wrote. “In addition to the enormity of the transgression, it is also delaying redemption.”
Abortions in Israel are authorized by hospital committees, but their approval criteria is quite broad: Abortions are allowed in cases of rape, incest, adultery, if the woman is under 17 years of age or over 40, if the woman’s health is at risk, or if the baby is suspected to have a physical or mental handicap. Such broad parameters have essentially established abortion on demand.
Such a view is possible, because most Jewish teachers do not teach that the inviolable right to life begins at conception but varies according to development and circumstance.
Dr. Eli Schussheim, director of Efrat, has pointed out that the demographic implications of abortion in Israel make it one of the nation’s greatest dangers.
“Israel has lost more than one and a half million Jewish children to abortion since 1948. In a country of about 5.5 million Jews, this number has great demographic significance. Imagine how much stronger Israel would have been today with one million more Jews,” a statement from Efrat says.
Rabbis Metzger and Amar praised the efforts of Efrat to help women contemplating abortion by providing emotional and material support.
We see great importance in the work of the Efrat association to save the lives of Jewish children,” the rabbis wrote. “Over its 30 years of activity, tens of thousands of fetuses were saved, and in the past year alone, the lives of 4,000 children were saved.
They also urged that, every rabbi who holds a conference on abortion or birth, or acts on this issue in any forum, should invite Efrat chairman Dr. Eli Schussheim to participate in the event, or consult with him as the countrys leading expert in this field, since it has been proved that [Efrat] actually saves lives.”
“....Explain to me why Christians are damned for suicide but not for murder...”
They are. One and the same. Murder of self, and murder of others, are the same.
“And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren.”
Intervening to save an innocent life is justifiable. It was NOT premeditated murder as he had no idea that was going to happen. He stumbled upon the scene accidently. He didn’t wake up that morning and say to himself, “I think I’ll kill me an Egyptian today.”
Then why are some arguing that even murderers can receive forgiveness and/or absolution?
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“..Then why are some arguing...”
Because some folks just like to argue, basically. It’s what they do.
It is true that the Jewish teaching on abortion is not identical to that of the Catholic Church. But neither is that of Fundamentalist Protestants. There's no surprise here. The teachings of the three are very similar, but of course there's going to be some difference in details, just as there is with regard to Catholics and Eastern Orthodox on divorce.
Do right wing Catholics like yourself really believe that all the problems of the world would be solved by the disappearance of Israel? If so, shouldn't you be in favor of Jewish abortions?
Agreed! It’s very sad that so many people of faith, that can read, do not follow or understand there Bibles, or Tanachs.
I pray for people to seek and understand our creator, his laws and the love he has for his people.
The world would be a better place.
How telling!
“...I pray for people to seek and understand our creator...”
That’s about all you can do. People have their free will, and either will, or won’t.
It’s that simple.
If it’s suicide, by definition the person is dead and there is no further opportunity to accept salvation.....asking forgiveness and the acceptance of salvation can only be done while a person is alive. On the other hand, a murderer is still alive and so the opportunity is still there until the murderer is dead.
Debatable
When it says that the Egyptian was smiting a Hebrew, that doesnt actually say the Hebrew was being killed. Smiting typically means being beaten or whipped
.not necessarily to death. Moses may have stumbled upon the scene accidentally
. but a plain reading of verse 12 indicates that he took actions that are consistent with it being murder.
If Israelis abort their children, but “Palestinians” do not, what do you think will eventually happen to Israel?
Thanks NYer and Yehuda.
Operation Moses:)
http://www.beadchaim.com/
That will confound Schumer and Farbissoner Schultz!
A truly worthy organization!
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