What Medical Procedures May Be Performed on Shabbat?
There is an over-riding principle in Judaism (every movement) that any Jewish law can be broken when it comes to saving a human life. The only exceptions are for idolotry, adultery, or murder. These are the only situation in which is Jew must choose death to avoid violating the law. So, when looking at medical procedures, one must first ask whether the procedure must be done immediately (or at least during Shabbat) in order to save a life. Let’s look at one example: Rehabilitation treatment. In some situations, this treatment consists of music and dance and arts and crafts. These are not likely to be “life-saving”, although some could be. On the other hand, if the treatment is physical and medical rehabilitation (for example, cardiac rehab after surgery, exercises for burn victims to keep their muscles from constricting, etc.) that is probably a different story. Note that this isn’t just a Reform view. Even in the traditioanl view, the definition of life saving is broader than one migh
