The Canadian Jewish News: MAID in conflict with Jewish values by Rabbi Seth Winberg (YCT ’11)

by Rabbi Seth Winberg (’11) for The Canadian Jewish News

I am a Canadian Jew with deep roots in Canada. My grandfathers, one from Winnipeg and the other from Toronto, helped build two of Vancouver’s prominent synagogues in the post-war era. I married a Canadian, also the descendent of Canadian Jewish leaders. Now that my wife and I are raising children south of the border, we frequently hear from my relatives in British Columbia about how much more enlightened Canadian society is. We often agree.

However, my perspective on Canada has been shifting as I’ve learned more about Canada’s ever-expanding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program. Recent international media attention has focused on the fact that Canadians are choosing MAID at rates far beyond expectations, particularly as Canada has expanded eligibility to include non-terminal cases  (“Track 2”). I am deeply concerned about this direction.

My message to Canadians, especially Canadian Jews, is this: Please be more critical of your government. (Notice I said “please”—can’t shake those Canadian manners.) Just because MAID is legal does not mean it’s ethical. We Jews know all too painfully that the actions of western, enlightened governments can be immoral.

Since I’m a rabbi, I’ll start with the ways I believe that MAID violates the most basic Jewish tenets. The Talmud teaches that three partners are involved in the creation of every human being: the two parents, and the Holy One (Kiddushin 30b, Niddah 31a). This ancient teaching captures something profound about the limits of human authority over life and death—we are partners in creation, not owners of life itself.

Our tradition also teaches that “One who saves one life, it is as if he saved a whole world” (Sanhedrin 37a). One of the most important theologians of our time, Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg, recently published Triumph of Life: A Narrative Theology of Judaism. In this book, a culmination of lifelong philosophical inquiry, Rabbi Greenberg presents a theologically grounded vision of a world moving toward deeper recognition of the infinite value, equality, and uniqueness of every person. I recommend reading it.

Judaism values protecting and supporting the vulnerable, not offering them death as a solution. Even Track 1 MAID presents complex questions within Jewish tradition. While Judaism prohibits hastening death, there is also a tradition against unnecessarily prolonging the dying process. Some Jewish authorities might find space within this framework for passive euthanasia for Track 1 cases; others maintain that any hastening of death crosses a fundamental line. But Track 2 MAID represents something categorically different and far more troubling from any Jewish perspective on the sanctity of life.

The Toronto Board of Rabbis wrote to Canadian senators in 2021 about MAID, expressing concern about “pressure, both subtle and overt” on vulnerable people to choose death. While this letter represented important rabbinic concern, it wasn’t enough. Canadian Jewish leaders from every denomination should articulate clearly that MAID’s existence and expansion fundamentally contradicts Jewish values about infinite human worth.

Read full article here >