Organ Donation in Judaism: The Halachic Debate on Saving Lives, Defining Death, and the Sanctity of the Human Body

According to Jewish law, it is absolutely forbidden to disconnect a patient from life-support machines, even if they are terminally ill, for the purpose of organ donation or to save the lives of others.

The principle is clear: “We do not sacrifice one life to save another.” 

Every human life, even one that seems close to its end, retains full sanctity. Disconnecting a patient to harvest organs is considered an act of killing, which is one of the gravest prohibitions in the Torah.

2. Is It Permissible to Donate Organs After Death?

In principle, organ donation after death is permitted, if it is absolutely clear that:

1. The deceased explicitly expressed their wish to donate, and

2. The organs will truly be used to save lives (pikuach nefesh).

However, there are many complex halachic conditions, including:

• How is death defined according to Torah law — cardiac death or brain death?

• Is the intended recipient currently before us and in immediate need?

• Will the removal of organs truly not hasten death?

Because these questions are intricate and case-specific, anyone wishing to become a posthumous donor must consult a competent halachic authority to ensure that all Torah requirements are met.

3. Why Many Leading Rabbis Oppose Signing an Organ Donor Card

Some people are aware that leading rabbis have opposed signing an organ donor card.

Their main concerns are as follows:

• The definition of death used by secular law does not match the halachic definition.

• Doctors often refuse rabbinic oversight during the determination of death.

• Even rabbis who were lenient required a written clause stating: “Only with the approval of a qualified rabbi.”

4. Clarifying the Core Halachic Principles

A. A person does not “own” their body — not in life and not after death.
B. One cannot sell, give, or authorize the removal of organs from themselves or others.
C. A person’s family does not “own” the body of the deceased.
D. When a person has died a complete halachic death, and it is possible to save a life, organ donation is permissible — since nothing stands in the way of pikuach nefesh.
E. In such a case, there is no need for prior consent from the deceased or the family.
F. Donation for non-life-saving purposes (e.g., corneal transplants to improve vision, or medical research) is forbidden.
G. The only valid time for organ removal is after full halachic death — not “brain death” as defined by secular medicine.
H. Since there remains a halachic dispute regarding when death occurs, and there is even a small chance the person is still alive, it is forbidden to touch the body until death is unquestionably established.
I. One must not sign organ donor cards that rely on secular medical criteria.

5. Why the Torah Forbids Using Secular Medical Definitions of Death

Jewish ethics are not based on fluctuating human morality but on eternal divine law. As the rabbis explain, “Moral values not rooted in Torah can change tomorrow.”

The Torah’s ethics are unchanging. Therefore, halacha is not opposed to saving lives — but only after death is confirmed by Torah standards.

As long as there is even a possibility that the person is still alive, removing organs is considered killing.

6. Resurrection and Organ Donation: Will the Body Be Whole Again?

Some ask: If someone donates organs, how will they be resurrected in the future?

The Prophet Ezekiel (Yechezkel 37:11–12) foretold: “Behold, I will open your graves and bring you up from them, O My people, and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.”

The Mabit (Rabbi Moshe ben Yosef di Trani) explains in Beit Elokim that this prophecy refers precisely to such cases: “Just as flesh returned to dry bones in Yechezkel’s vision, so too will the bodies of those whose organs decayed, were destroyed, or burned be restored by God. The Creator who once formed man from dust will gather the remains and renew the body in its youthful strength.”

Thus, no organ donor will lack anything in resurrection — the Creator who gives life will restore all that was lost.

7. May One Receive an Organ from a Donor?

If halacha forbids removing organs from a dying person, may one receive an organ that was already donated?

Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg (Tzitz Eliezer vol. 14:84), longtime rabbi of Shaarei Tzedek Hospital, addresses this question:

• If the origin of the organ (such as a cornea) is unknown, one may accept it — since it may have come from a non-Jew, or the tissue (which lacks blood) is of rabbinic-level prohibition only.

• If it is known that the organ came from a Jewish donor, and there is risk of blindness, leniencies exist, especially if the donor consented while alive and if the transplant is necessary to save or preserve sight.

• When there is no medical danger, receiving such an organ is prohibited if it certainly came from a Jewish donor who had not died by halachic standards.

Summary

• Disconnecting a patient to harvest organs is forbidden.

• Postmortem donation is permitted only after complete halachic death.

• One should not sign an organ donor card unless it explicitly requires rabbinic supervision.

• Donation for non-life-saving purposes (e.g., research, cosmetic use) is prohibited.

• Receiving an organ may be allowed in cases of medical necessity or doubt about its source.

• Resurrection will not be hindered by organ donation — God will restore every body in full.

Sources: Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg (Tzitz Eliezer 14:84), and the halacha division of Hidabroot.