Jewish Learning Institute offers course on ‘Medicine and Morals’

By Robert Hamilton.

The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will present “Medicine and Morals: Your Jewish Guide Through Life’s Tough Decisions;” the six-session course will commence during the week of Oct. 24.
Rabbi Avrohom Stolik of Chabad of Downtown Coral Gables will conduct the six course sessions at three locations: two daytime classes are to take place at noon on six Tuesdays beginning on Oct. 26 at the law firm of Weiss Serota Helfman, 2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Suite 700, in Coral Gables, and on six Thursdays beginning on Oct. 28 at the South Miami Hospital Clarke Education Center, 6200 SW 73 St. An evening class will conducted at 7:45 p.m. on six Wednesdays beginning Oct. 27 at 550 Biltmore Way, Suite 103, in Coral Gables.

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

The course will examine contemporary case studies and compare secular and Jewish approaches as a means of developing understanding, he added.

Like all JLI programs, “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 JLI courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular synagogue, temple, or other house of worship.

Interested students may call 305-490-7572 or visit www.ChabadGables.com/JLI 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 fulfill additional requirements.) JLI courses are presented in Coral Gables and South Miami in conjunction with Chabad of Downtown Coral Gables.

Visit online at www.myJLI.com for up-to-date information about Medicine and Morals.