- Part 1 Suicide in a Religious and Cross-cultural Perspective
- Chapter 1 Suicide
- Chapter 2 The role of religion in suicide prevention
- Chapter 3 Cultural and religious traditions in China
- Chapter 4 Hindu religion and suicide in India
- Chapter 5 A Buddhist perspective on suicide
- Chapter 6 The Shinto religion and suicide in Japan
- Chapter 7 Suicide in the Jewish scriptures
- Chapter 8 Suicide and Islam
- Chapter 9 Christianity and suicide
- Chapter 10 Suicide prevention and religious traditions on the African continent
- Chapter 11 The role of religion in suicide prevention work in Uganda
- Chapter 12 Maya religion and traditions
- part 2 The Magnitude and Implication of Suicide and Attempted Suicide
- Part 3 Theories of Suicidal Behaviour
- Part 4 Political Determinants of Suicide
- Part 5 Social and Economic Determinants of Suicide
- Part 6 Psychiatric and Somatic Determinants of Suicide
- Part 7 Suicide Risk Assessment
- Part 8 Cost of Suicide and Prevention Strategies
- Part 9 Health Care Strategies
- Part 10 Public Health Strategies
- Part 11 Survivors of Suicide Loss
- Part 12 Young People and Suicide
- Part 13 Elderly People and Suicide
- Part 14 Networking in Suicide Research and Prevention
- Part 15 Examples of How to Develop Suicide Prevention on all the Continents
(p. 43) Suicide in the Jewish scriptures
- Chapter:
- (p. 43) Suicide in the Jewish scriptures
- Author(s):
Israel Orbach
and Aron Rabinowitz
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780198570059.003.0007
The Jewish scriptures and the commentaries of the scriptures throughout history present a very complex approach toward suicide. There is a categorical prohibition against suicide, but also an obligation to submit to death when there is an external coercion to transgress Jewish laws that pertain to the essence of the faith. Talmudic sages have shown a psychological and empathic understanding of the suicidal state of mind, but they have harshly condemned suicide and punished it by omissions of certain religious rituals for the dead. Yet, Jewish law defines suicide in a very minimalistic way, so it is very rare that a death is defined as a suicide. Inherent in this approach is the attempt to avoid further suffering by the family, to show respect for the frailty of the human being, but at the same time, to condemn self-destructive behaviour.
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- Part 1 Suicide in a Religious and Cross-cultural Perspective
- Chapter 1 Suicide
- Chapter 2 The role of religion in suicide prevention
- Chapter 3 Cultural and religious traditions in China
- Chapter 4 Hindu religion and suicide in India
- Chapter 5 A Buddhist perspective on suicide
- Chapter 6 The Shinto religion and suicide in Japan
- Chapter 7 Suicide in the Jewish scriptures
- Chapter 8 Suicide and Islam
- Chapter 9 Christianity and suicide
- Chapter 10 Suicide prevention and religious traditions on the African continent
- Chapter 11 The role of religion in suicide prevention work in Uganda
- Chapter 12 Maya religion and traditions
- part 2 The Magnitude and Implication of Suicide and Attempted Suicide
- Part 3 Theories of Suicidal Behaviour
- Part 4 Political Determinants of Suicide
- Part 5 Social and Economic Determinants of Suicide
- Part 6 Psychiatric and Somatic Determinants of Suicide
- Part 7 Suicide Risk Assessment
- Part 8 Cost of Suicide and Prevention Strategies
- Part 9 Health Care Strategies
- Part 10 Public Health Strategies
- Part 11 Survivors of Suicide Loss
- Part 12 Young People and Suicide
- Part 13 Elderly People and Suicide
- Part 14 Networking in Suicide Research and Prevention
- Part 15 Examples of How to Develop Suicide Prevention on all the Continents