In a well-known Teshuva in Igros Moshe O.C. 2:111 the question was posed to Reb Moshe Feinstein ZT’L if a person should buy life insurance, or if it should be avoided as it seems to stem from a lack of Bitachon. After all, Hashem can provide for one’s family whether the main breadwinner is alive or not.

Reb Moshe answers that it is certainly not a lack of Bitachon and goes on to strongly encourage buying life insurance. He brings down the Gemara, Brachos 60a which discusses not relying on miracles, derives proof from there that we are not allowed to daven for miracles, and therefore one absolutely should buy life insurance.

Reb Moshe explains that life insurance is like Parnassa. Just as one is obligated to work for his Parnassa and not allowed to rely on miracles, so too one must buy life insurance and not rely on miracles to support his family posthumously. He further explains that since Hashem recently put the idea of life insurance into the minds of society, it must be so that people should take advantage of it in order to provide for their families after they are no longer around. It is unfortunate that too many people mistakenly do not take advantage of Hashem’s gift of life insurance despite its affordability and accessibility.

In a follow-up Teshuva O.C .4:48 Reb Moshe was asked a more specific question about which type of life insurance policy one should buy. In his response, he again strongly encourages Baalei Mishpacha to make sure they have life insurance. He says that if one has the choice between getting a small amount of whole life vs. getting a larger amount of term insurance, he should opt for the option with a larger amount of term insurance. This is because the term insurance is much better suited to provide for one’s family if one c’v passes away early.

Reb Moshe Feinstein Paskens clearly and unequivocally that all Baalei Mishpacha should have life insurance.

Shlomo Hamelech tells us in Koheles 9:8, ‘At all times a person’s clothing must be white.’ One must always be prepared for the inevitable, as no one knows when their time is up – when one will be summoned to return their soul to its Maker. Therefore, the Gemara, Shabbos 153a says that one should do Teshuva every single day. Since no one knows what day will be his last, one must always be prepared not only with Teshuva and Maasim Tovim, but with planning for the future and making sure his/her family is taken care of after he/she is gone.

Anyone who drives an automobile has auto insurance. This is true even though it is so much more costly than life insurance, as it is illegal to drive without auto insurance. So, no matter what one’s financial condition is, somehow all drivers have auto insurance.

Perhaps if a parallel could be drawn and if it were considered irresponsible to have a family without first getting life insurance, then it would become more commonplace for every Chassan to have a life insurance policy by the end of his Sheva Brachos; Just as anyone who buys or leases a car, buys auto insurance right away.

Just as Baalei Simcha make extensive arrangements with their caterer, florist, jeweler, band, party planner, parking attendant, limo company, local hotel honeymoon-suite, vechol devarim shebikedusha etc. in anticipation of the grand wedding day; perhaps a consultation with one’s trusted life-insurance agent should be part of the grand lineup for the wedding plans.

(Especially considering that life insurance would be the cheapest part of the wedding expenses – by far.)

It is not a luxury but a necessity for every single family – at least as much as auto insurance is, if not more. Every responsible Baal Mishpacha must consult with his trusted insurance broker to verify that he not only has life insurance for his family, but that he has adequate insurance coverage for his family’s needs. One must increase his life insurance coverage as his family grows ba’h.

Reb Ovadya Yosef (Yechave Daas 3:85) also compares having life insurance to working for Parnassa. He encourages buying life insurance and derives proofs from many Poskim accordingly, including Rabbi Eliezer Deutsch in the Pri Hasadeh 2:44, the Teshuvos Lechem Shlomo Y.D. 2:67 and Reb Yitzchok Sternhell in the Teshuvos Kochvai Yitzchok 1:22

I include here, with permission, a letter from Dayan Fuerst of Chicago, imploring all Baalei Mishpacha to have life insurance in the amount of at least 1 million dollars.

Dayan Fuerst Letter

This letter is from 2007, and after discussing this issue with Dayan Fuerst, it is clear that 15 years later, the minimum coverage is likely more than 1 million dollars – each Baal Mishpacha according to his needs.

Everyone must assess his own family’s needs and consult with his Rav and insurance agent.

I also include a link to the Halacha Headlines program, with permission from HaRav Dovid Lichtenstein, analyzing the topic of Life Insurance and Bitachon in depth with leading experts:

Halacha Headlines Life Insurance and Bitachon

The following story demonstrates how strongly Reb Yaakov Kamenetzky ZT”L felt about the importance of having life insurance:

There was once a Yid who was discussing the issue with Reb Yaakov Kamenetzky and was resisting his urging to get life insurance. Finally, Reb Yaakov asked him, Do you have fire insurance? To which he responded yes. Reb Yaakov exclaimed, So you care about your house, but you do not care about your family?!

Some sadly do not realize that death is part of life – even though historically, 100 % of people who have been born since the beginning of time- have all died. No one to date has ever lived forever. Some think of death as being an abstract concept which they do not need to be concerned about for at least a few hundred years, and sadly, they delay thinking about it – until after it is too late. But as the saying goes, “Life is a terminal condition, and no one gets out alive”, and thus every Bal Mishpacha who cares for his family and is responsible, must plan accordingly.

Still others simply do not realize how affordable life insurance is, nor do they appreciate that which Reb Moshe Feinstein and Reb Ovadya Yosef both delineate in their writings on this topic; that life insurance is a gift from Hashem to our generation, and that it is a gift from Hashem of how affordable and accessible it is.

Reb Moshe Sternbuch (Teshuvos Vehanhagos 4:325) also received the question about acquiring life insurance. He begins the Teshuva by exclaiming that he does not understand how there could even be a question if someone should buy life insurance. Every individual must provide for his family, and everyone eventually dies. So obviously one must plan ahead and have life insurance.

He adds that even if someone considers himself to be on a lofty level of Bitachon, he still does not have the right to be a Baal Bitachon on the Cheshbon of his wife and children. One does not have the right to be a Chasid on someone else’s account. It costs just a few dollars to have life insurance and make sure one’s family is taken care of in case c’v the inevitable happens sooner than expected.

May we all be zoche to heed the words of the many Gedolei HaPoskim including Reb Moshe Feinstein, Reb Ovadya Yosef, Reb Yaakov Kamenetzky, Reb Moshe Sternbuch among many others – all of whom strongly encourage having life insurance, and to the Yishuv Hadaas that comes along with knowing that one’s loved ones will be cared for when the time comes.

It is not the intention of this work to be machria, but merely to raise public awareness and hopefully be’H to encourage a more proactive approach to the very vital matter of life insurance.

For a final ruling a Halahic authority must be consulted.

This article was reviewed and approved by Rabbi Shmuel Fuerst, Rabbi Menachem Goldman,

and Rabbi Daniel Neustadt, and we are grateful for their time, expertise, and input.

Written by: Rabbi Binyomin Radner

For any comments or questions please contact the author at [email protected]

Wishing Everyone A Freilichin Chanukah!