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I was recently reading an article about cryogenics, there are around 200 bodies frozen in cryogenics labs around the world, and in the article they said that in the near future they may be able to resuscitate the bodies and bring them back to life. What is the Jewish view on cryonics and "bringing people back to life" using cryonics? Is it allowed or disallowed?

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I don't think you use cryonics to bring people back to life. You just are trying to preserve a dead body. – Double AA♦ Jul 20 '12 at 0:19
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+1 I think it is a good question for the site. Off the cuff I'll let you know that I'm skeptical that it would be permitted in Judaism (especially considering its as yet unproven track record). – Double AA♦ Jul 20 '12 at 0:32
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Maybe those resuscitated people would have the status of a golem! judaism.stackexchange.com/captcha – Dave Jul 20 '12 at 0:40
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@SethJ-That would be a great disappointment for the Yidden throughout the generations who didn't have the chance to be preserved in such a manner. – Yirmeyahu Jul 20 '12 at 2:41
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@Yirmeyahu, wouldn't this be a violation of laws about handling corpses? So far as I know they don't bury the cryogenically-frozen bodies. – Monica Cellio♦ Jul 20 '12 at 3:14
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2 Answers

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Insofar as I do not believe there is any clear halachic conclusions on this I will offer the following speculation:

If medical science comes to a place where there is sufficient possibility that a particular ailment can be treated in the future, or perhaps even a hope once this process has been established in other cases, then I believe it can be considered squarely within the realm of pikuach nefesh and would over ride any concern about k'vod hameis (respectful treatment of corpses/quick burial). As an analogy I would say that this isn't inherently any different than any contemporary case where someone who is clinically and halachicly dead (albeit only briefly) is resuscitated. In such a case we are not concerned about burial.

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See our discussion and the sources brought here where it is shown that the pikuach nefesh of reviving a dead person is different than that of saving a live person in that it only overrides Torah commandments if there is a good chance (defined by some to be >50%) of success. Cyrogenics has about as low a success rate as one could imagine, so it would seem that the biblical obligation of a speedy burial (cf Yoreh Deah 357) is not overridden.

I found also this letter where a Rabbi P Waldman of Aish Hatorah forbade using cyronics.

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a)I suppose I paved the path, but it is worth pointing out that both our answers tend to address using cyrogenics rather than whether it is permitted to revive someone who has been. b)Your answer also addresses the current situation while the question references future, albeit hypothetical, advances. – Yirmeyahu Jul 20 '12 at 5:01
@Yirmeyahu My answer has two sentences. The first outlines the principles. The second applies them. I think the method of application is clear enough that one could easily derive the application to any future situation. || And it says you can for sure revive someone; you just don't break the rules to do so unless you really think it's going to work. – Double AA♦ Jul 20 '12 at 5:05
Can you cite "the biblical obligation of a speedy burial" please? My impression was that that's only for death-sentence cases, not that I ever learned the sugya. – msh210♦ Jul 20 '12 at 5:12
@msh210 Just as an example, consider Chinuch #537 entitled מצות קבורה לנהרג על פי בית דין וכן לכל מת – Double AA♦ Jul 20 '12 at 5:16
@DoubleAA Thanks! – msh210♦ Jul 20 '12 at 6:50

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