Establishing the moment of death is among the most complex and far-reaching questions in Jewish law. It has an impact on burial and mourning, Shabbos and inheritance, end-of-life care, and in certain circumstances, the permissibility of organ donation. In the age of advanced life-support technology, a clear halachic definition has become critical.
In The Moment of Death, Rabbi Professor Avraham Steinberg, MD, renowned Torah scholar and a leading authority in medical halachah, offers a comprehensive and rigorous analysis of how Jewish law determines the end of life.
Drawing from classical sources and contemporary medical knowledge, he presents a clear, structured treatment of this complicated topic, providing rabbis, physicians, and serious readers with an authoritative, accessible examination of one of the most sensitive and consequential subjects in halachah today.
About the author:
Rabbi Prof. Avraham Steinberg is a world-renowned authority in the field of Jewish medical halachah and ethics, uniquely combining the roles of pediatric neurologist, rabbi, and ethicist. A recipient of the prestigious Israel Prize for Torah Literature and the Yakir Yerushalayim (Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) award, he is the acclaimed author of the monumental Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics (Hebrew and English) and Harefuah Kahalachah, as well as author of several books and hundreds of scholarly articles on halachah, ethics, and medicine.
Currently, he serves as Director of the Medical Ethics Unit and Chairman of the Helsinki Committee (IRB) at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and is Head of the Talmudic Encyclopedia and Editor-in-Chief of the Talmudic Micropedia.
Rabbi Prof. Steinberg founded the Dr. Falk Schlesinger Institute for Medical-Halakhic Research and the journal Assia and served as its first editor. He has chaired and served on numerous national committees and consulted on complex medical-halachic matters with the leading Gedolei Hador and the Israeli Chief Rabbinate.
