תרומת איברים לאחר המוות

If the donor is certain that in the event of an accident his organs will be removed from his body only after unequivocal death in accordance with Jewish law has been established, then this question is relevant. In most places in the world, however, it is impossible to ensure that organs will not be removed before establishment of unequivocal, certified, and accepted death according to Jewish law. Therefore, it is generally forbidden to sign a donor card that is liable to lead to organ removal prior to establishing unequivocal death.

The late Rabbi Shaul Yisraeli, who was a senior member of the Chief Rabbinate Council in Israel, addressed this question from a different perspective (translation):

One who asks advice on whether or not to grant permission for his organs to be used posthumously for saving a life should be encouraged, in that it is a mitsva (a worthy deed) which, although he is not duty-bound to perform after death, will stand to his credit on the Day of Judgment [Megilla 12:2: a person is judged according to his own standards].

However, one who asks advice should not be advised to sign an authorization or to carry a donor’s card since this is meaningless except in the case of sudden death such as in an accident. It is not desirable for a person to express the possibility of some such occurrence, which he prays and hopes will never happen to him. Our Sages of Blessed Memory have already warned against this in their dictum, “A person should never open his mouth to Satan” [Berakhot 19a].