Should lifesaving measures be denied to the developmentally disabled, the very old, the very sick, in order to use those resources for the higher-functioning, the younger, the more likely to survive? Is one life more valuable than another? In the presence of unending, life-threatening risk, must we abandon all the daily routines that define and structure our lives? What can we do – what must we do – to protect our parents, our families, ourselves?
As is always the case, Torah values provide us with the only compass we can follow in a world that has been thrown dangerously out of balance. Halachah, with its consistent, objective respect for life both in this world and the next, is the only guide that can see us through the most important choices we may ever have to make.
TEAM (Traditional End-of-Life Awareness Movement) Shabbos, a project of the National Association of Chevra Kadisha (NASCK), was created to address these and other crucial end-of-life issues.
There has never been a time when TEAM Shabbos was needed more than now.
Through participation in TEAM Shabbos on the Shabbos of Parshas Vayechi, January 2, 2021, hundreds of shuls in communities across the US and Canada will address the tough issues that arise whether we are prepared or not, with sensitive and comprehensive explanations of the Torah’s view of end-of-life, and practical steps to take.
The curtailment of public gatherings has led NASCK to create a slate of Zoom webinars and video presentations led by national experts to address these crucial topics. Register your shul for TEAM Shabbos to gain access to these webinars and all of the resources NASCK will be making available to guide you and your community through these trying times.
Over 500 shuls will join in TEAM Shabbos on Parshas Vayechi. The parshah’s account of Yaakov’s illness, his last words to his children, and his instructions regarding plans for his burial, echo our own issues – issues that have taken on greater urgency with the events of the past eight months.
TEAM Shabbos. This year, more than ever.
*****
Make sure your community has the opportunity to learn and participate in everything TEAM Shabbos has to offer! To join or for a comprehensive list of resources, please call 718-847-6280 or visit www.TEAMShabbos.org.
