suicide in judaism with a special emphasis on modern israel自杀在犹太教中特别强调现代以色列.pdfVIP

Religions 2012, 3, 725–738; doi:10.3390/rel3030725 OPEN ACCESS religions ISSN 2077-1444 /journal/religions Article Suicide in Judaism with a Special Emphasis on Modern Israel Eliezer Witztum 1 and Daniel Stein 2,3,* 1 Mental Health Center Beer-Sheva, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Po Box 4600, Beer-Sheva 84170, Israel; E-Mail: elyiit@actcom.co.il 2 Pediatric Psychosomatic Department, Safra Childrens Hospital, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan 52621, Israel 3 Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 04393, Israel * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: danil49@.il; Tel.: +972-3530-2690; Fax: +972-3530-5129. Received: 29 June 2012; in revisedform: 28 July 2012 / Accepted: 2 August 2012 / Published: 21 August 2012 Abstract: Judaism considers the duty of preserving life as a paramount injunction. Specific injunctions against suicide appear in the Bible, Talmud, and thereafter. Nevertheless, Jewish tradition emphasizes that one should let himself be killed rather than violate cardinal rules of Jewish law. Mitigating circumstances are found for the six deaths by suicide mentioned in the Bible, for example to account for ones sins, or avoid shameful death. Heroic suicide is praised throughout the Jewish history, from the suicide of Samson and the collective suicide in Masada, to the collective readiness of Jews in Medieval times and during the Holocaust to kill themselves rather than succumb to their enemies. Suicide rates for Jews are lower than