On Tuesday May 25th, Chief Rabbi Isaac Sacca was invited by Rabbi Moshe Nissan of the Yavne community of Montevideo, to participate in a virtual conference for young people.
Within the “Hot Topics” cycle of talks, which are about controversial issues inside Judaism, they discussed the Jewish view on abortion.
Rabbi Isaac explained that controversial issues produce groupings and passion in society that impede reasoning. The first step in concentrating on a problem itself is to be unbiased.
He highlighted two concepts: ethics and law. The Torah came to exhort us about innate morals and ethics, and also gave us laws to regulate them.
He also explained that, as in all matters, there are nuances in relation to abortion: a raped woman, a single woman, a girl. The Jewish Law contemplates different situations and each case in particular must be analyzed. He stressed that life is a supreme value in Judaism and that is why the decision to carry out an abortion cannot be taken lightly.
To conclude, Rabbi Sacca urged not to let passions dominate over reason, but to have a thorough knowledge and face each issue in a serious way.
“Judaism rejects the extremes of any position, it sees things objectively, depending on the circumstances. You do not have to put yourself at a point, but be judicious, dispassionate, in order to be able to make the right decisions ”- he concluded.
