CHABAD HOUSE’S Chai Seniors in Johannesburg has added a new community course to its wide array of shiurim.

From the international Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI), Chabad is introducing “Medicine and Morals: Your Jewish Guide Through Life’s Tough Decisions”, a six-session course which will start on Tuesday, October 26 at 09:30 at several convenient locations. It will continue for six Tuesdays.

Rabbi Ari Kievman is director of Chai Seniors.

In a media release Chabad mentions that it has been offering the community many informative courses.

“To date, anyone walking through the doors of Chabad House in Savoy can find a stimulating shiur at a convenient time that suits them and a topic that interests them.

“There are also some classes offered at other locations for the convenience of the wider community.

“The new course will also be available for those who can’t make it in the evenings, regardless of their age. A special session will be offered on Tuesday mornings by Chabad’s Chai Seniors, with Rabbi Kievman conducting the six course sessions at Chabad House in Savoy, beginning Tuesday morning October 26.”

The six lessons will include “Choosing Life: The Obligation to Seek Healing”; “Flesh of My Flesh: Organ Transplants in Jewish Law”; “Rolling the Dice: Risky and Experimental Treatments”; “New Beginnings: The Ethics of Reproductive Technologies”; “With You In Mind: Ethical Treatment of the Mentally Disabled”; and “Secret Code: Genetics and the Ethics of Patient Confidentiality”.

“As medicine advances and life expectancy increases, almost all of us will encounter an ethical dilemma in dealing with our own health or that of a loved one,” said Rabbi Zalman Abraham, originally from Cyrildene, now of the JLI’s New York headquarters.

“But Jewish law creatively draws analogies with ancient paradigms to provide guidance through the maze of medical decision-making.”

According to Rabbi Kievman, “medical research has shown that intellectual stimulation is vital to maintaining good mental health. Many senior citizens in independent or assisted living facilities, “will enjoy this course and feel reconnected to our heritage by studying the texts and discovering our rich customs and ethics, what the Torah and Talmud have to say about these matters.

“Jewish thought teaches us that education doesn’t end at graduation but rather it continues throughout one’s lifetime.”

“Medicine and Morals: Your Jewish Guide Through Life’s Tough Decisions”, is designed to appeal to people at all levels of Jewish knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All Chabad’s courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular synagogue, movement, or other organisation.

For more information, call (011) 440-6600 or visit www.myJLI.com for registration and other course-related information.

The course will be available for CME and CLE credit. (Students who are pursuing continuing education credit may have to fulfil additional requirements).

JLI courses are currently available at Chabad House in Savoy, Chabad in The Mall (Village Walk), Chabad of Gallo Manor, and more locations.

JLI, the adult education branch of Chabad Lubavitch, offers programmes in more than 300 US cities and in numerous foreign locations.