MySpace.YourSpace. Is MY Life any of YOUR Business?
Exploring meaningful solutions for everyday problems
> Are you obligated to try and save the life of a dying stranger?
> Should a hero who saves lives be liable for damages he made during the rescue?
> Would you be obligated to try and stop someone who is attempting suicide?
> Can we allow a few people to die in order to save many others?
> Should abortion be a universal right?
Created especially for teens, this exciting new course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will help you think about life and death dilemmas that will test your courage and challenge your instincts.
Join with hundereds of Jewish teenagers around the world and explore the limits of my space -- and yours!
JLITeens: Young. Smart. Jewish.
Below is a description of the main theme of each lesson. Additional key questions and related conflicts arise from the main theme of each lesson, and an array of experiential learning activities provide sufficient content to allow each lesson to be presented into two or more parts.
Lesson One: Rights vs Obligations
When I see another person in distress, am I obligated to help them? Judaism teaches that not only are we not meant to harm others, but we are obligated to help our fellow, even it if means personal loss or discomfort. In contrast, many modern systems of law stress the importance of upholding the rights of others, but do not address our obligations to each other.
Lesson Two: Life vs Property
Am I permitted to damage or steal private property in order to save a life? This lesson explores the value of human life and the obligation to transgress all the Torah’s commandments (except for three) to save a person who is in danger. The Torah describes how one is allowed—even required—to save lives even at the cost of destroying property, but that compensation is required under specific circumstances.
Lesson Three: Suicide and Self Harm
Does a person have the right to do what they please with their life? Judaism’s view on suicide and self harm is based on the perspective that man is not the owner of his body; he is merely a custodian charged with the task of safeguarding G-d’s property for the duration of his lifetime. This lesson also addresses whether or not a person is obligated to try and intervene when someone else is attempting suicide.
Lesson Four: My Life vs. Your Life
When faced with the choice of saving my own life or someone else’s, whose takes precedence? Other issues that arise out of this theme include whether it is ever morally acceptable to kill another person in order to save one’s own life; whether or not one has to put oneself in danger in order to help another person; and whether an individual can be sacrificed in order to save a group.
