Q. Thank you so much for your answer on the new heart transplant techniques and the opportunities they offer. It is not clear from the answer according to Halacha how long should, the efforts to resuscitate the patient be continued before permitting the removal of the heart?
A. Horav Shlomo Miller's Shlit'a opinion, as stated on question 1086, is that as long as the patient’s heart can be restarted and the individual revived, he is not considered death by Halacha. There is no clear specific time interval or number of revival intents that is pertinent or relevant, it depends on the particular case and on the individual patient. The only applicable criterion is if the patient can be revived or not. A surgeon, the assistants and the voluntary donors who do not follow this guideline may be guilty of transgressing a murder prohibition or becoming an accessory to one, in the eyes of the Torah.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit'a
Important Numbers
