Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Jesus/Torah: healing on the Sabbath

Mark 3:1-6
Here Jesus heals on the Sabbath (a withered hand). The pharisees then conspire with the Herodians to "destroy him," presumably for violating the Sabbath.

Here's the Jewish Enclopedia entry on medical work and the Sabbath:

"The laws relating to the Sabbath, in common with the other ceremonial laws, are set aside in case of danger to life (). Moreover, if such an occasion for the violation of the laws arises, the work should be done not by non-Jews or minors, but by adult Jews or learned and pious rabbis, to show that while the laws of the Sabbath are important, the preservation of life is still more so (Tosef., Shab. xvi. 12; "Yad," l.c. ii. 3). In case of dangerous illness about which physicians disagree, if only one says that certain work should be done in order to save the patient's life, no question need be asked, and any one may perform such work."

So, the withered hand not being life-threatening, Jesus should have waited and healed it on another day. Again, Jesus is redefining how to obey Torah. His action implies that to do good on the Sabbath, even when it is work, is acceptable.

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