Health Care and Gun Control are in the news this week, the former because Congress voted on Wed. to repeal the plan passed last year and the latter in the aftermath of the Tucson shootings.
In the interest of generating light rather than heat, I present here all the pertinent statements that have come from the Rabbinical Assembly on these topics, without editorial comment. The purpose is not to join a debate, but to explore what Judaism has to teach us. No doubt there are contrasting and nuanced views, but this material can help you to understand the basics. As the sages used to say, "Tze U'lemad," "Go and learn."
Health Care
The Rabbinical Assembly has articulated its position over the past several decades for accessible and affordable health care for Americans.
In 1998, the Committee for Jewish Law amd Standards passed a teshvua (responsum) entitled, "Responsibilities for the Provisions of Health Care," by Elliot Dorff and Aaron Mackler, outlining our halakhic responsibilities for health care in our community.
In 2008, the RA passed a resolution affirming support for affordable and accessible health care.
Last spring, the US Congress passed the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act". Yesterday, the US House of Representatives, voted to enact H.R. 2, entitled, "Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act", a measure to repeal the health care law.
Majority Leader, Sen. Harry Reid, said there are no plans to introduce this into the Senate and repeal would require a vote of both Houses. President Obama also indicated that he will veto any such measure if passed. As a member of the Faithful Healthcare Reform Coalition, the RA has signed onto this letter which also articulates the vision statement of the Coalition. The RA stands for accessible and affordable health care for all Americans.
Gun Control
As a member of Faiths United To Prevent Gun Violence coalition, a diverse coalition of national faith organizations united to confront America's gun violence epidemic and to rally support for policies that reduce death and injury from gunfire, the R.A. supports the bill that Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) introduced into the House earlier this week to ban high capacity ammunition like the one used in the Tucson shootings. In 1995, the Rabbinical Assembly went on record in support of gun control by passing a resolutiuon and reaffirmed its support with the Coalition this past fall. You can read an extensive selection of material from the Reform Movement's Religious Action Center on this topic here.
Showing posts with label health care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health care. Show all posts
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Senator Lieberman and the Mayan Calendar: A Final Appeal
Now I'm concerned.
I'm concerned because my beloved junior senator has become both a laughing stock and the target of barbs that border on anti-Semitic. He's been called, among other things, "the most hated man in Washington," "a vampire disguised as a moose," and "responsible for everything evil in that's happened in the world since 1999." Even his wife Hadassah has been attacked. It has gone way too far.
So many of us considered this favorite son of Stamford a modern Jewish Maccabee, a latter-day Herzl, unafraid to play the political game, a Brandeis with hashgacha. His moral courage and independent spirit carried on the tradition of his (Republican) predecessor, Lowell Weicker. I will always admire his accomplishments, his Jewish pride, his devotion to his family and in particular love he showed for his beloved mother, whom I also admired greatly.
While I support the outline of the health care bill making its way through Congress, my feelings regarding the so called public option have been somewhat more tepid. So I appreciated Lieberman's desire to stand tall against the pressure to conform automatically to the dictates of the majority. Mavericks do that.
But the time for acting Mavericky ended with the successful launching of an upgraded Iranian missile this week. Perhaps not coincidentally, a new missile was also launched from Gaza into Sderot.
Joe - are you listening? An Upgraded Iranian Missile was fired - and you've been fiddling while those engines burned. You've been fiddling, and so has the rest of Congress, in no small part because of you. Everything we are reading about Iran is telling us that zero-hour is fast approaching.
Much of the Health Care debate has been foolishly apocalyptic in nature. Here's some breaking news: the world as we know it will not cease to exist if a bill is passed. If the bill is not perfect, and it won't be, it can be tinkered with over the coming years.
Iranian missiles, however, are not tinker toys. Zero hour is fast approaching. Want to get apocalyptic, Congress? Get apocalyptic about that!
Yesterday the House passed a toothy sanctions bill, 412-12. The Senate will not take the matter up until January, supposedly delaying at the behest of the Obama Administration, which is seeking to build an international consensus. But we all know the true reason why the Senate is dawdling. How do you say "filibuster" in Persian? Here I disagree with the Administration. If you want to show the Europeans, Chinese and Russians that we are dead serious about sanctions, we don't hold off on a vote until the eggnog is gone and the ball has dropped. How could any self respecting Senator go on vacation with this kind of urgent business unfilled? Since when do we put "prevent apocalypse" on a new year's to-do list, right next to "avoid sweets" and "exercise more?"
This week at Beth El, we started to figure out our Bar Mitzvah schedule for 2012. Someone asked me if we've taken the Mayan calendar into account - you know, those claims, now enshrined by Hollywood, that the world will come to an end on the 5th night of Hanukkah (Dec. 12). That's 12/12/12.
I suppose we'll front load on the presents that year.
But 2012 is a long time off, and that's about when we'll feel some of the impact of the Health Care bill. Israel and Europe might well feel the impact of Iranian missiles much sooner.
Like in a matter of weeks.
It would be foolish to blame Joe Lieberman for Iranian nuclear ambitions, but if it turns out that the last chance to apply crippling sanctions went by the boards because Congress was tied up in Health Care right up until its year end recess, Lieberman will join many others in wearing an albatross of shame. He will be seen by many as a prime reason why the Senate took it's eye off the Iranian ball at the worst possible time.
There are three filibustering parties ruling the day right now in the midst of critical negotiations: Ahmadinijad, the Republicans and Joe Lieberman.
Fiddle-bustering is more like it.
It's time to put the fiddle down, Joe, and let a final Health Care vote happen.
Those Iranian thrusters are burning.
I'm concerned because my beloved junior senator has become both a laughing stock and the target of barbs that border on anti-Semitic. He's been called, among other things, "the most hated man in Washington," "a vampire disguised as a moose," and "responsible for everything evil in that's happened in the world since 1999." Even his wife Hadassah has been attacked. It has gone way too far.
So many of us considered this favorite son of Stamford a modern Jewish Maccabee, a latter-day Herzl, unafraid to play the political game, a Brandeis with hashgacha. His moral courage and independent spirit carried on the tradition of his (Republican) predecessor, Lowell Weicker. I will always admire his accomplishments, his Jewish pride, his devotion to his family and in particular love he showed for his beloved mother, whom I also admired greatly.
While I support the outline of the health care bill making its way through Congress, my feelings regarding the so called public option have been somewhat more tepid. So I appreciated Lieberman's desire to stand tall against the pressure to conform automatically to the dictates of the majority. Mavericks do that.
But the time for acting Mavericky ended with the successful launching of an upgraded Iranian missile this week. Perhaps not coincidentally, a new missile was also launched from Gaza into Sderot.
Joe - are you listening? An Upgraded Iranian Missile was fired - and you've been fiddling while those engines burned. You've been fiddling, and so has the rest of Congress, in no small part because of you. Everything we are reading about Iran is telling us that zero-hour is fast approaching.
Much of the Health Care debate has been foolishly apocalyptic in nature. Here's some breaking news: the world as we know it will not cease to exist if a bill is passed. If the bill is not perfect, and it won't be, it can be tinkered with over the coming years.
Iranian missiles, however, are not tinker toys. Zero hour is fast approaching. Want to get apocalyptic, Congress? Get apocalyptic about that!
Yesterday the House passed a toothy sanctions bill, 412-12. The Senate will not take the matter up until January, supposedly delaying at the behest of the Obama Administration, which is seeking to build an international consensus. But we all know the true reason why the Senate is dawdling. How do you say "filibuster" in Persian? Here I disagree with the Administration. If you want to show the Europeans, Chinese and Russians that we are dead serious about sanctions, we don't hold off on a vote until the eggnog is gone and the ball has dropped. How could any self respecting Senator go on vacation with this kind of urgent business unfilled? Since when do we put "prevent apocalypse" on a new year's to-do list, right next to "avoid sweets" and "exercise more?"
This week at Beth El, we started to figure out our Bar Mitzvah schedule for 2012. Someone asked me if we've taken the Mayan calendar into account - you know, those claims, now enshrined by Hollywood, that the world will come to an end on the 5th night of Hanukkah (Dec. 12). That's 12/12/12.
I suppose we'll front load on the presents that year.
But 2012 is a long time off, and that's about when we'll feel some of the impact of the Health Care bill. Israel and Europe might well feel the impact of Iranian missiles much sooner.
Like in a matter of weeks.
It would be foolish to blame Joe Lieberman for Iranian nuclear ambitions, but if it turns out that the last chance to apply crippling sanctions went by the boards because Congress was tied up in Health Care right up until its year end recess, Lieberman will join many others in wearing an albatross of shame. He will be seen by many as a prime reason why the Senate took it's eye off the Iranian ball at the worst possible time.
There are three filibustering parties ruling the day right now in the midst of critical negotiations: Ahmadinijad, the Republicans and Joe Lieberman.
Fiddle-bustering is more like it.
It's time to put the fiddle down, Joe, and let a final Health Care vote happen.
Those Iranian thrusters are burning.
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Health Care Debate: Notes and Sources
I've received some very thoughtful response to my posting about Joe Lieberman and the issue of filibustering the Health Care bill, which I appreciate, no matter what side of the issue they are on. Unfortunately, the tone of a couple of responses was such that I couldn't publish them. The respondents clearly had not read my own posting, which took no position on the bill, or on the public option, but made a strong (and rather conservative) case that nothing should distract from Iran right now. My feeling is that whatever bill is passed on health care can be tinkered with and fixed over the coming years, but that an Iranian nuclear weapon will be irreversible.
It is becoming painfully clear that, thanks to the polarizing effect of advocacy journalism, all of politics has now become what only Middle Eastern politics used to be: people talking past each other and not really listening. Health care has become a domestic version of the Arab-Israeli conflict; so has just about everything else. When Walter Cronkite died this year, it symbolized the end of the era when everyone got their news from a common source (granted, not a totally unbiased one, but at least not what Fox and MSNBC have become). And while the Internet carries the potential to open people up to other views, more often it becomes an echo chamber where one's own opinions are reinforced. Sad, but, unlike an Iranian bomb (and like Health Care), not irreversible.
One response to my Lieberman posting contained this request:
I would like to hear more from Rabbi Hammerman on how the current political events are related to the Jewish law, traditions and culture. For example, I heard from Dennis Prager that Talmud advises against acceptance of free medical services and I heard also that according to Talmud a doctor cannot refuse to provide medical services to the person who cannot pay.
Your wish is my command!
Click here for Dr Rambam's prescription for health care, which I provided a couple of months ago in advance of a discussion at services. As a physician and rabbi, Maimonides understood that the key to a sound mind was to maintain a sound body.
In his Mishna Torah, Maimonides listed the top ten services that must be provided by any community. It is noteworthy that #1 on his list is health care. What was true 9 centuries ago is true today.23) It is not permitted for a learned sage to live in a town which does not have the following ten things: a doctor, a blood-letter, a wash-house, a toilet, naturally occurring water such as a river or spring, a synagogue, a midwife, a scribe, a warden of charity and a Court of Law which imprisons people.
Rabbi Gail Labovitz explores Jewish sources in this posting. Much of the Jewish view stems from Exodus 21:19, which discusses a case in which one person has injured another in an altercation. The Torah rules that the assailant must see to it that the victim receives necessary medical attention: וְרַפֹּא יְרַפּ אֵ , "He shall certainly heal him.” See Labovitz's commentary for more details on how the Talmud interprets that verse.
Jewish law clearly places health care as a prime communal obligation. Whether "communal" implies the government is a matter for conjecture - and that is where the two sides of this debate divide.
In the interest of being "fair and balanced," here is what conservative commentator David Klinghoffer had to say about Health Care and Jewish sources. I couldn't find anything as articulate on this subject from Dennis Prager, though I'm sure he has addressed it.
I'm impressed by how this blogger handled the matter, providing a number of sources. I hope you will take the time to read them. So here are the sources... now you decide!
Jewish Law and Health Care
Many Jewish groups have been speaking out about the current debate surrounding health care reform, with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism even setting up a separate web site, Jews for Health Care Reform. Usually I believe that Judaism never comes down on one side of a public policy debate, rather it demands certain behaviors and the upholding of values, but whether these necessitate a specific political platform is often unclear. The demands that Jewish law places on a Jewish community in relation to its members might not translate into a call for civil legislation. For example, Judaism definitely holds charity and help for the poor to be a supreme value and goal, but how does this necessarily translate into politics and government. Someone who supports a minimalist version of government help to the needy may claim that from a macro standpoint they think that this is the best way to help the poor. A recent example of how a movement might be able to agree on the long-term goals, but disagrees on how to get there is the discussion within the Conservative movement about living wage legislation. There have been a number of interesting posts recently which have argued that Jewish law and ethics may actually require that one support universal health care. Whether support for universal health care necessarily equals support for the current health care reform is another question. Here are some of them:
1. Elliot Dorff, Why We Must Support Universal Health Care
2. Shmuly Yanklowitz, The Health-Care Battle: A Jewish Issue? (warning: the HTML is messed up on this page)
3. Brad Hirschfield, The Jewish Source for Universal Health Care
There are two scholarly articles on this question which look very interesting. I haven’t read them, so I can’t comment on them.
1. Aaron L. Mackler, Judaism, Justice, and Access to Health Care, Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal – Volume 1, Number 2, June 1991, pp. 143-1612.
Noam Zohar, A Jewish Perspective on Access to Healthcare, Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics (1998), 7, 260-265.
It is becoming painfully clear that, thanks to the polarizing effect of advocacy journalism, all of politics has now become what only Middle Eastern politics used to be: people talking past each other and not really listening. Health care has become a domestic version of the Arab-Israeli conflict; so has just about everything else. When Walter Cronkite died this year, it symbolized the end of the era when everyone got their news from a common source (granted, not a totally unbiased one, but at least not what Fox and MSNBC have become). And while the Internet carries the potential to open people up to other views, more often it becomes an echo chamber where one's own opinions are reinforced. Sad, but, unlike an Iranian bomb (and like Health Care), not irreversible.
One response to my Lieberman posting contained this request:
I would like to hear more from Rabbi Hammerman on how the current political events are related to the Jewish law, traditions and culture. For example, I heard from Dennis Prager that Talmud advises against acceptance of free medical services and I heard also that according to Talmud a doctor cannot refuse to provide medical services to the person who cannot pay.
Your wish is my command!
Click here for Dr Rambam's prescription for health care, which I provided a couple of months ago in advance of a discussion at services. As a physician and rabbi, Maimonides understood that the key to a sound mind was to maintain a sound body.
In his Mishna Torah, Maimonides listed the top ten services that must be provided by any community. It is noteworthy that #1 on his list is health care. What was true 9 centuries ago is true today.23) It is not permitted for a learned sage to live in a town which does not have the following ten things: a doctor, a blood-letter, a wash-house, a toilet, naturally occurring water such as a river or spring, a synagogue, a midwife, a scribe, a warden of charity and a Court of Law which imprisons people.
Rabbi Gail Labovitz explores Jewish sources in this posting. Much of the Jewish view stems from Exodus 21:19, which discusses a case in which one person has injured another in an altercation. The Torah rules that the assailant must see to it that the victim receives necessary medical attention: וְרַפֹּא יְרַפּ אֵ , "He shall certainly heal him.” See Labovitz's commentary for more details on how the Talmud interprets that verse.
Jewish law clearly places health care as a prime communal obligation. Whether "communal" implies the government is a matter for conjecture - and that is where the two sides of this debate divide.
In the interest of being "fair and balanced," here is what conservative commentator David Klinghoffer had to say about Health Care and Jewish sources. I couldn't find anything as articulate on this subject from Dennis Prager, though I'm sure he has addressed it.
I'm impressed by how this blogger handled the matter, providing a number of sources. I hope you will take the time to read them. So here are the sources... now you decide!
Jewish Law and Health Care
Many Jewish groups have been speaking out about the current debate surrounding health care reform, with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism even setting up a separate web site, Jews for Health Care Reform. Usually I believe that Judaism never comes down on one side of a public policy debate, rather it demands certain behaviors and the upholding of values, but whether these necessitate a specific political platform is often unclear. The demands that Jewish law places on a Jewish community in relation to its members might not translate into a call for civil legislation. For example, Judaism definitely holds charity and help for the poor to be a supreme value and goal, but how does this necessarily translate into politics and government. Someone who supports a minimalist version of government help to the needy may claim that from a macro standpoint they think that this is the best way to help the poor. A recent example of how a movement might be able to agree on the long-term goals, but disagrees on how to get there is the discussion within the Conservative movement about living wage legislation. There have been a number of interesting posts recently which have argued that Jewish law and ethics may actually require that one support universal health care. Whether support for universal health care necessarily equals support for the current health care reform is another question. Here are some of them:
1. Elliot Dorff, Why We Must Support Universal Health Care
2. Shmuly Yanklowitz, The Health-Care Battle: A Jewish Issue? (warning: the HTML is messed up on this page)
3. Brad Hirschfield, The Jewish Source for Universal Health Care
There are two scholarly articles on this question which look very interesting. I haven’t read them, so I can’t comment on them.
1. Aaron L. Mackler, Judaism, Justice, and Access to Health Care, Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal – Volume 1, Number 2, June 1991, pp. 143-1612.
Noam Zohar, A Jewish Perspective on Access to Healthcare, Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics (1998), 7, 260-265.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Doctor Rambam's Prescription: Health Care and Maimonides
This Shabbat morning we'll be talking about Maimonides' guidelines for character development. As a physician and rabbi, he understood that the key to a sound mind was to maintain a sound body.
In his Mishna Torah, Maimonides listed the top ten services that must be provided by any community. It is noteworthy that #1 on his list is health care. What was true 9 centuries ago is true today.
23) It is not permitted for a learned sage to live in a town which does not have the following ten things: a doctor, a blood-letter, a wash-house, a toilet, naturally occurring water such as a river or spring, a synagogue, a midwife, a scribe, a warden of charity and a Court of Law
which imprisons people.
See the entire chapter on health (it's fascinating - remember, he was a doctor) at http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/healthliteracy/hl-classical-maimonides-hilchot.pdf
Did you know, for instance, that
...One should not eat until one's stomach is [very] full, but one should [only] eat until one's stomach is three-quarters full. Nor should one drink water during a meal, except a little mixed with wine, but once the food begins to digest one should what one needs to drink, but one should never drink too much, even when the food digests. One should nor eat unless one has checked oneself to make sure that one does not need to relieve oneself. One should not eat unless one has first relieved oneself, or until one's body gets warm, or unless one has worked at something else first. The general rule of the matter is that one should always answer one's body. In the morning, one should work until one's body gets warm, then one should wait until one's soul has settled, and then one may eat. It is good to wash in hot water after having worked, then wait a while, and then eat.
Who needs "Doctor Mom" when we can get the straight dope from "Dr. Rambam."
In his Mishna Torah, Maimonides listed the top ten services that must be provided by any community. It is noteworthy that #1 on his list is health care. What was true 9 centuries ago is true today.
23) It is not permitted for a learned sage to live in a town which does not have the following ten things: a doctor, a blood-letter, a wash-house, a toilet, naturally occurring water such as a river or spring, a synagogue, a midwife, a scribe, a warden of charity and a Court of Law
which imprisons people.
See the entire chapter on health (it's fascinating - remember, he was a doctor) at http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/healthliteracy/hl-classical-maimonides-hilchot.pdf
Did you know, for instance, that
...One should not eat until one's stomach is [very] full, but one should [only] eat until one's stomach is three-quarters full. Nor should one drink water during a meal, except a little mixed with wine, but once the food begins to digest one should what one needs to drink, but one should never drink too much, even when the food digests. One should nor eat unless one has checked oneself to make sure that one does not need to relieve oneself. One should not eat unless one has first relieved oneself, or until one's body gets warm, or unless one has worked at something else first. The general rule of the matter is that one should always answer one's body. In the morning, one should work until one's body gets warm, then one should wait until one's soul has settled, and then one may eat. It is good to wash in hot water after having worked, then wait a while, and then eat.
Who needs "Doctor Mom" when we can get the straight dope from "Dr. Rambam."
Friday, August 21, 2009
In Support of "Death Panels"
No not really, but this Shabbat morning at services we'll be discussing the current health care issues, and yes, in a rational manner! No one knows where the "Death Panels" scare tactic originated in the midst of the current debate, but what's certain is that no group of bureaucrats should decide who shall live and who shall die. However, we all need to be focusing on end of life issues long before they become crises. Here are some good resources so that you can do your homework, without the government looking over your shoulder.
Jewish Law - Articles ("End of Life Choices in Halacha")
National Institute For Jewish Hospice
"When the Body Begins to Fail: Reaching Out in Prayer," (from Hiddur: The Center for Aging)
See some of the halachic discussions about end-life care that have taken place in the Conservative movement:
Avram Israel Reisner, "A Halakhic Ethic of Care for the Terminally Ill" YD 339:1.1990a
Elliot N. Dorff, "A Jewish Approach to End-Stage Medical Care" YD 339:1.1990b
Avram Israel Reisner, "Mai Beinaihu?" YD 339:1.1990c
Amy Eilberg, "On Halakhic Approaches to Medical Care for the Terminally Ill: A Response" YD 339:1.1990d
Joel Roth, "A Response to Rabbis Dorff and Reisner" YD 339:1.1990e
Aaron L. Mackler, ed., "Jewish Medical Directives for Health Care" YD 339:1.1993
And if all this depressing talk is getting you down, why not download the Bikur Cholim Joke Book — A collection of humor compiled by the Rabbi Isaac N. Trainin Bikur Cholim Coordinating Council that will lighten your hearts and spirits. Bekur Holim (visiting the sick) is a fundamental mitzvah, and humor can be a tool to use for yourself or to enrich another person coping with sadness and loss.
Here's one example:
A Gabbai approaches a guest in the Shul and says, "I want to give you an Aliyah.
What is your name?"
The man says "Sara bat Moshe."
The Gabbai says "No I need your name."
The man repeats "It is Sara bat Moshe."
The Gabbai asks "How can that be your name?"
The man answers "I've been having serious financial problems so everything is in my wife's name."
Jewish Law - Articles ("End of Life Choices in Halacha")
National Institute For Jewish Hospice
"When the Body Begins to Fail: Reaching Out in Prayer," (from Hiddur: The Center for Aging)
See some of the halachic discussions about end-life care that have taken place in the Conservative movement:
Avram Israel Reisner, "A Halakhic Ethic of Care for the Terminally Ill" YD 339:1.1990a
Elliot N. Dorff, "A Jewish Approach to End-Stage Medical Care" YD 339:1.1990b
Avram Israel Reisner, "Mai Beinaihu?" YD 339:1.1990c
Amy Eilberg, "On Halakhic Approaches to Medical Care for the Terminally Ill: A Response" YD 339:1.1990d
Joel Roth, "A Response to Rabbis Dorff and Reisner" YD 339:1.1990e
Aaron L. Mackler, ed., "Jewish Medical Directives for Health Care" YD 339:1.1993
And if all this depressing talk is getting you down, why not download the Bikur Cholim Joke Book — A collection of humor compiled by the Rabbi Isaac N. Trainin Bikur Cholim Coordinating Council that will lighten your hearts and spirits. Bekur Holim (visiting the sick) is a fundamental mitzvah, and humor can be a tool to use for yourself or to enrich another person coping with sadness and loss.
Here's one example:
A Gabbai approaches a guest in the Shul and says, "I want to give you an Aliyah.
What is your name?"
The man says "Sara bat Moshe."
The Gabbai says "No I need your name."
The man repeats "It is Sara bat Moshe."
The Gabbai asks "How can that be your name?"
The man answers "I've been having serious financial problems so everything is in my wife's name."
Friday, August 14, 2009
Health Care Reform and Jewish Values
The current health care discussions are too important to toss aside as "politics as usual," even though the debate has been marred by so much anger, confusion and misinformation. It is hard to defend or attack a bill that remains, to this day, somewhat amorphous. But the discussion is important, and Judaism does have much to say about it. President Obama has arranged for a conference call next week with rabbis from several denominations, and I will be participating in that, listening attentively.
Meanwhile, here are some resources for all of us to study, regarding this crucial matter, so that we can focus on shedding more light than heat.
The statement below was issued by Faithful Health Care Reform coalition of which the Rabbinical Assembly is a member. This statement embodies the principles that the RA has articulated in its resolutions and writings over the years. After the statement is a summary of the Rabbinical Assembly position.
A Faith-Inspired Vision of Health Care
We, as people of faith, envision a society where each person is afforded health, wholeness, and human dignity.
That vision embraces a health care system that is inclusive... accessible...affordable... and accountable.
Vision ~ Inclusive: Health care is a shared responsibility that is grounded in our common humanity. In the bonds of our human family, we are created to be equal. We are guided by a divine will to honor each person's dignity and to live together as an inclusive community. Affirming our commitment to the common good, we acknowledge our enduring responsibility to care for one another. As we recognize that society as a whole is healthy only when we care for the most vulnerable among us, we are led to discern the human right to health and wholeness. Therefore, we are called to act with compassion by including everyone in the sharing of our abundant health care resources.
Vision ~ Affordable: Health care must contribute to the common good by being affordable for individuals, families and society as a whole. We believe that in the sacred act of creation we are endowed with the talents, wisdom and abundant resources necessary to meet the needs of one another, including the health care needs of all. Therefore, in our calling to be faithful stewards, we understand our responsibility to use our health care resources effectively, to administer them efficiently, and to distribute them with equity.
Vision ~ Accessible: All persons should have access to health services that provide necessary care and contribute to wellness. We believe humanity is sacred and that all persons should benefit from those actions which contribute to our health and wholeness. Therefore, we are called to act with justice and love, to ensure that all of us have access to the health care we need in order to live out the fullness of our potential both as individuals and as contributing members of our society. We must work together to identify and overcome all barriers to and disparities in such care.
Vision ~ Accountable: Our health care system must be accountable, offering a quality, equitable and sustainable means of keeping us healthy as individuals and as a community. We believe that as spiritual and sacred vessels, we are responsible for the care of our bodies to the best of our ability and for the care of one another regardless of individual circumstances. Therefore, individuals, families, governments, businesses, and the faith community are called to work in partnership for a system that ensures fully-informed, timely, quality and safe care that treats body, mind and spirit.
Rabbinical Assembly Health Care Position
In 1999, the Rabbinical Assembly published its ““Rabbinic Letter on the Poor” by Elliot Dorff under the leadership of the Social Action Committee. This letter called for our society to provide basic health care to all. The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards passed a teshuvah (responsum) in affirming this principle (Responsibilities for the Provision of Health Care, 1998, available on the Rabbinical Assembly website, http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/). In summary, the teshuvah teaches that Jewish law requires that people be provided with needed health care, at least a “decent minimum” that preserves life and meets other basic needs, including some amount of preventative care. The responsibility to assure this provision is shared among individuals and families, physicians and other health care providers, and the community. The community bears ultimate responsibility to assure provision of needed health care for individuals who cannot afford it, as a matter of justice as well as a specific halakhic obligation. The “community” that bears that responsibility in our day is the national society, through its government, health care institutions, insurance companies, and private enterprises.
In 2002, the Rabbinical Assembly passed a resolution calling on the US government to increase its funding for health care for the poor and expanding the CHIP and S-CHIP programs to cover minor children, especially those whose parents have lost their health insurance benefits.
In light of employers reducing health benefits and rising unemployment causing the elimination of health coverage for many Americans, in 2008 the Rabbinical Assembly expressed its grave concern about this issue and called on the United States government to establish affordable health care for all Americans; and to expand access to health insurance.
The Rabbinical Assembly has signed onto numerous letters urging the US government to provide affordable and accessible health care for all of its citizens and is currently a member of the Faithful Reform in Health Care Coalition. We encourage our members to educate themselves on the issues of health care reform and advocate with their legislators and congregants and students on those provisions that reflect Jewish values.
During the August recess members of Congress are holding town hall meetings on health care in their home districts. As you know protesters have been disruptive at some of these meetings. The Health Reform Coalition has requested us to ask you to contact your member of Congress (call the district office) and offer to hold the town meeting at your shul or school or offer to deliver a prayer at the meeting. Protesters are less likely to be disruptive in a house of worship or when the tone is set by a member of the clergy.
Meanwhile, here are some resources for all of us to study, regarding this crucial matter, so that we can focus on shedding more light than heat.
The statement below was issued by Faithful Health Care Reform coalition of which the Rabbinical Assembly is a member. This statement embodies the principles that the RA has articulated in its resolutions and writings over the years. After the statement is a summary of the Rabbinical Assembly position.
A Faith-Inspired Vision of Health Care
We, as people of faith, envision a society where each person is afforded health, wholeness, and human dignity.
That vision embraces a health care system that is inclusive... accessible...affordable... and accountable.
Vision ~ Inclusive: Health care is a shared responsibility that is grounded in our common humanity. In the bonds of our human family, we are created to be equal. We are guided by a divine will to honor each person's dignity and to live together as an inclusive community. Affirming our commitment to the common good, we acknowledge our enduring responsibility to care for one another. As we recognize that society as a whole is healthy only when we care for the most vulnerable among us, we are led to discern the human right to health and wholeness. Therefore, we are called to act with compassion by including everyone in the sharing of our abundant health care resources.
Vision ~ Affordable: Health care must contribute to the common good by being affordable for individuals, families and society as a whole. We believe that in the sacred act of creation we are endowed with the talents, wisdom and abundant resources necessary to meet the needs of one another, including the health care needs of all. Therefore, in our calling to be faithful stewards, we understand our responsibility to use our health care resources effectively, to administer them efficiently, and to distribute them with equity.
Vision ~ Accessible: All persons should have access to health services that provide necessary care and contribute to wellness. We believe humanity is sacred and that all persons should benefit from those actions which contribute to our health and wholeness. Therefore, we are called to act with justice and love, to ensure that all of us have access to the health care we need in order to live out the fullness of our potential both as individuals and as contributing members of our society. We must work together to identify and overcome all barriers to and disparities in such care.
Vision ~ Accountable: Our health care system must be accountable, offering a quality, equitable and sustainable means of keeping us healthy as individuals and as a community. We believe that as spiritual and sacred vessels, we are responsible for the care of our bodies to the best of our ability and for the care of one another regardless of individual circumstances. Therefore, individuals, families, governments, businesses, and the faith community are called to work in partnership for a system that ensures fully-informed, timely, quality and safe care that treats body, mind and spirit.
Rabbinical Assembly Health Care Position
In 1999, the Rabbinical Assembly published its ““Rabbinic Letter on the Poor” by Elliot Dorff under the leadership of the Social Action Committee. This letter called for our society to provide basic health care to all. The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards passed a teshuvah (responsum) in affirming this principle (Responsibilities for the Provision of Health Care, 1998, available on the Rabbinical Assembly website, http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/). In summary, the teshuvah teaches that Jewish law requires that people be provided with needed health care, at least a “decent minimum” that preserves life and meets other basic needs, including some amount of preventative care. The responsibility to assure this provision is shared among individuals and families, physicians and other health care providers, and the community. The community bears ultimate responsibility to assure provision of needed health care for individuals who cannot afford it, as a matter of justice as well as a specific halakhic obligation. The “community” that bears that responsibility in our day is the national society, through its government, health care institutions, insurance companies, and private enterprises.
In 2002, the Rabbinical Assembly passed a resolution calling on the US government to increase its funding for health care for the poor and expanding the CHIP and S-CHIP programs to cover minor children, especially those whose parents have lost their health insurance benefits.
In light of employers reducing health benefits and rising unemployment causing the elimination of health coverage for many Americans, in 2008 the Rabbinical Assembly expressed its grave concern about this issue and called on the United States government to establish affordable health care for all Americans; and to expand access to health insurance.
The Rabbinical Assembly has signed onto numerous letters urging the US government to provide affordable and accessible health care for all of its citizens and is currently a member of the Faithful Reform in Health Care Coalition. We encourage our members to educate themselves on the issues of health care reform and advocate with their legislators and congregants and students on those provisions that reflect Jewish values.
During the August recess members of Congress are holding town hall meetings on health care in their home districts. As you know protesters have been disruptive at some of these meetings. The Health Reform Coalition has requested us to ask you to contact your member of Congress (call the district office) and offer to hold the town meeting at your shul or school or offer to deliver a prayer at the meeting. Protesters are less likely to be disruptive in a house of worship or when the tone is set by a member of the clergy.
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Provided below is contact information from the Republican Jewish Coalition and the National Jewish Democratic Council. You need not identify as a Democrat or Republican to take advantage of the resources these two groups provide, and each group will give you the choices of “retrieving or receiving” their offerings. Please keep in mind that these two groups are devoted to promoting their party’s platforms and candidates rather than providing dispassionate insight into policy issues. Of course, the RA endorses neither organization, but provides this information as one way to become more engaged in the political process.
Republican Jewish Coalition
www.rjchq.org
rjc@rjchq.org
National Jewish Democratic Council
www.njdc.org
info@njdc.org
Finally, you can access the position statements of the RAC (the Religious Action Center) athttp://rac.org/advocacy/issues/issuehc/. In particular, see Understanding the Issues and Proposed Solutions; Jewish Values & Health Care, Making the Moral Case for Reform. The RAC is an official arm of the Reform Movement, but our movement makes use of its resources.
I think it would be healthy for us to have our own discussion of this matter, and I'd like to set that for services next Shabbat morning, August 22. I welcome any input from those with light to shed on this complicated and crucial matter that has enormous moral implications. Even if you cannot attend, if you could send me your information, it would be helpful. What I'm looking for is not simply your opinion, but information that has helped you to form that opinion - and please, to the greatest extent possible, let it be an opinion with verifiable facts.
In this way, our congregation can play a role in this national dialogue that will impact us all.
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