February 13, 2012 Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away Danielle Kurtzleben: The Peace Process is over. Finally Susan Johnston: The Myth of Economic Inequality Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Farro Salad: An ancient grain is now new again as the base of a tasty tangle of flavorsome vegetables, chickpeas and salami February 10, 2012 Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: The biblical case against small-mindedness involved diminishing His precious prophet Caroline B. Glick: The Peace Process is over. Finally Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage Rachel Koning Beals: Gen X Women Continue to Shrink Gender Investing Gap The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Durand: Who Says You Can't Make Restaurant Favorites at Home?: MANGO AND STICKY RICE February 9, 2012 Jeff Strickler: An argument a day keeps the divorce away, they say Clifford D. May: CAIR's Crusade against The Third Jihad Melissa Healy: Study finds jolt to the brain boosts memory Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation Emily Brandon: 10 Necessities for a Great Retirement Spot The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Winter Squash and Red Swiss Chard Risotto is Colorful Cozy Cold Weather Fare (includes detailed dos and don'ts) February 8, 2012 Rivy Poupko Kletenik: Tree hostility: The auspicious history of the evolution of Tu B'Shevat Steven Emerson: Planting Trees is Racist?! Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups Anne Applebaum: Russia's Potemkin democracy Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs Emily Brandon: 10 Necessities for a Great Retirement Spot The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. 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Tiny reptiles advancing robot design David Francis: How to Avoid an IRS Audit The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: These homemade energy bars (3 recipes) are far better workout fuel than commercial ones, packing power and taste February 6, 2012 Scott Peterson: Iran's top ayatollah: We're trumping the West Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland' Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good Philip Moeller: Where Smart Investors Put Their Money Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard? The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: Vegetable Frittata --- leftovers never tasted so scrumptious February 3, 2012 Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein: Living with ideals --- in reality Caroline B. 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Jewish World Review Oct. 16, 2006 / 24 Tishrei, 5767 Ethics of life after death By Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir The Jewish belief in resurrection of the dead affects how will live in the here and now http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Q: Why does Jewish law forbid cremation? A. The accepted ruling in Jewish law is that cremation is forbidden. The "Jewish Ethicist" doesn't discuss practical legal rulings, but I want to discuss this prohibition because it bears a profound ethical message as well. (In any particular case a qualified authority would have to be consulted.) On the whole, Judaism emphasizes practice, not beliefs. Even so, the belief that God will resurrect the dead is a foundation of Jewish faith. This belief is so important that we affirm it in the prayers we recite thrice daily. And the Mishnah states that this principal is a basic part of the Torah. (1) Consistent with Judaism's orientation towards practice, this belief is expressed in many concrete customs. For example, burying the dead in a simple but dignified white garment or shroud is considered to be testimony to the resurrection. (2) Another example is the prohibition on disfiguring any corpse, which encompasses many embalming practices, superfluous autopsies, and cremation. (3) (The definition of "superfluous" is beyond the scope of this column.) Of course the Jewish sages were always well aware that the body decomposes in the grave, along with the shrouds. Resurrection is not dependent on being buried whole. Even so, maintaining bodily integrity to the best of our ability gives a concrete expression to our belief that the body is important as the abode of the soul, important enough that the soul should return to it even after death. This eschatological belief is closely allied to an ethical one. Many thinkers have noted that belief in the immortality of the soul contributes to ethical behavior; in this world, reward for virtue and punishment for sin are often lacking, and justice seems to demand a future existence which will right these inequities. Even most Deists, who did not accept most aspects and traditions of organized religion, believed in an immortal soul and judgment in a future world. Rabbi Avraham Kook explains that belief in reward and punishment is important, but insufficient. Belief in resurrection is also an ethical necessity. A purely spiritual immortality, while insisting on individual justice, concedes that this world is essentially unjust and unredeemed. This could lead to a situation where a person is led to concentrate on his own personal ethical righteousness, without concern for making the world as a whole a better place. Believing in purely spiritual reward and punishment can thus weaken our commitment to improving our existing world and making it more just a place. (4) The concept of resurrection affirms that the actual physical material world we live in can be perfected, and will in the future be perfected. "We know that the perfection of the human spirit is within the body, therefore the final object of this perfection will be at the time of the resurrection." (5) This belief leads a person to pursue not only individual righteousness, but also the perfection of the world. Resurrection teaches that this world is capable of redemption, and furthermore the consciousness that we will return to this very world increases our desire to improve it in any way we can. Belief in return to the body teaches us never to despair of trying to attain ethical perfection in the here and now. There is no doubt that there are many highly ethical people who have a vital faith in the perfectibility of this world, yet do not believe in an afterlife or resurrection of the dead. However, Judaism believes that vital spiritual and ethical truths can only be kept alive by connecting them to concrete practices that embody them. One of the most influential and popular books on the meaning of the commandments is a medieval work appropriately called "Sefer HaChinuch", literally "the Book of Education". This book explains the profound educational messages in each of the commandments of the Torah. The author also presents a general principle: "The heart is drawn after actions." (6) Beliefs are cultivated through specific practices that affirm them. We perceive much injustice in this world. The belief in a final judgment stimulates us to right actions in corrupt surroundings, but can lead to a very individualistic kind of righteousness that despairs of truly repairing the world. The belief in the future resurrection of the dead into physical bodies on this earth sustains the faith that this actual physical human world we inhabit can and will be perfected, and that we will experience this perfection. Thus we are stimulated to civic virtue, and not only individual virtue. This belief is in turn cultivated by the many customs of Judaism which emphasize the importance of the body as the abode of the soul, especially those laws regarding respect for the corpse after the soul's departure. SOURCES: (1) Mishnah, Sanhedrin 10:1 (2) YD 352:1 and Shach commentary. (3) See Responsa Noda beYehudah II YD 210. (4) Oros Hakodesh II 488 (5) Ein Ayah, Berachos 18a. (6) Sefer Hachinuch 16. Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes inspiring articles. Sign up for our daily update. It's free. Just click here. JWR contributor Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, formerly of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Reagan administration, is Research Director of the Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem, Jerusalem College of Technology. To comment or pose a question, please click here. THE JEWISH ETHICIST, NOW IN BOOK FORM You've enjoyed his columns on JWR for years. Now the Jewish Ethicist has culled his most intriguing — and controversial — offerings in book form. HARDCOVER PAPERBACK Sales help fund JWR. Previously: Ethical guidelines on what to say and what's proper to keep to yourself Is it wrong to get credit for something you didn't do? Ethics and sportsmanship The ethics of forwarding email Must a supplier honor a discount offered by a rogue sales representative? Should I boycott my daughter's fashion show? Should you respond to all those annoying email pop-up requests? Do I have to reimburse someone who tried to do me a favor? Seeking credit card debt settlement Can I threaten to spread the word about someone who cheated me? How can the terminally ill tap into their life insurance? Is there value in an unhappy marriage? Where does the Almighty fit into your corporation's mission statement? Does an expert witness have to be impartial? Should I give recognition to a modest man who did a great deed? In representing my firm, can I tell a white lie? Defrauding insurance to save a life Can top level management unilaterally give away money to corporate dollars to charity? Loans to Family Members How much worker supervision is too much? Should I turn in a colleague for inappropriate acts? Priority in charitable giving Trolls and ogres How many hours of work is too many? Can I promote my product by having it unobtrusively written into a story? He's not heavy he's my brother All's fair in war?, II All's fair in war? Girth vs. worth Is it proper to tax bequests? Ethics of Being Overweight Penalized for working swiftly When is it a bluff? 'Rate and switch' My paycheck is late! Should schools cater to an elite? All's fair in love? Comfort and Competition Do I need the caller's permission to put a call on the speakerphone? Overtime for lost time Is it unethical to play suppliers against each other to get the lowest bid possible? Do family members have precedence in charity allotments? What the world of business can teach us about our annual process of repentance and renewal Are religious leaders subject to criticism? Vindictive Vendor: How can I punish an abusive competitor? Blogging Ethics: Is the blogger responsible for defamatory posts? © 2005, The Jewish Ethicist is produced by the JCT Center for Business Ethics