GEN251 [A]s understood by Jewish authorities, the sacredness of human life inheres in the human being as a whole, both body and soul.  Indeed, the Hebrew term “nefesh,” used in [this verse] … refers to both the physical and spiritual dimensions of a human being.  Thus as one traditional scholar puts it, “Man is created…in the image of God; an assault upon the body of the deceased thus constitutes an act of disrespect toward God.” [Bleich, Judaism and Healing, 164] As a result, autopsies are permitted in very few circumstances, generally when the results will save another human life.  And this must be a specific individual; the possibility that the knowledge gained from desecrating a human body may one day help save some unknown person’s life is generally held to be insufficient warrant.  Similarly, organ transplantation, either from living donors or from cadavers, is permissible only when the recipient’s life is at risk.  Otherwise, this constitutes a violation of the sanctity of the human body.  [As an aside it should be noted that this view of the unity of body and soul has been challenged by recent efforts to define death in terms of brain activity. The status of a person whose bodily functions continue after cerebral cortex activity has ceased is not considered in traditional sources, which define death in terms of the cessation of breathing.  Some Jewish legal authorities have now accepted a brain death criterion, defined in terms of the cessation of all brain activity, though this remains controversial.]  Plastic surgery is problematic from a Jewish point of view because it involves unnecessary “wounding” of the body, which belongs to God.  Beautification in itself is not generally regarded as sufficient reason for cosmetic surgery, unless the psychological or financial well-being of the patient depends upon it. PASTIMP 110