Jewish Perspective on Patient-Doctor Relations

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Join Siegal Lifelong Learning for a remote lecture with Dafna Ben-Yosef, Director of Jewish Lifelong Learning at Siegal Lifelong Learning and
Professor Mark Harris, University of Oxford.

This lecture explores how religious obligation and modern medical ethics shape the patient-doctor relationship. In Judaism, doctors have an obligation to treat and save lives, at the same time that patients are obligated to seek treatment (Hishtadlus), while also acknowledging God as the ultimate source of healing. In Orthodox communities, medical decisions often involve consultation with rabbis or poskim (legal scholars), adding a halakhic layer to informed consent. Jewish medical ethics may also allow limited disclosure in certain cases, overriding the patient’s autonomy to protect the patient’s well-being, to prevent psychological harm, and to save a life. These nuanced differences highlight the interplay between faith, law, and medicine in Jewish medical decision-making.

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