[Avodah] assisted suicide

[Shmuel Weidberg]

On Jan 24, 2008 3:07 PM, Gershon Seif <gershonseif at yahoo.com> wrote:
> My wife (who is a lobbyist for Agudah) was in Madison, WI yesterday to join
> a long list of people/organizations who came to voice their objection to a
> proposed bill to allow physician assisted suicide.
>
> Some of the people who spoke in favor of the bill tried to show how Shimshon
> would have been in favor of assisted suicide.

Shimshon wasn't a suicide. He was a kamikaze. His goal was to
assasinate the entire leadership of the Plishtim. And he was quite
successful. The gemara (sorry no mareh makom offhand) says that he
caused more trouble for the Plishtim through his death than he did
throughout his life.

There was no element at all of taking his life because he was
disabled. Rather, it is because he was disabled, that he was able to
do what he did.

Regards,
Shmuel