The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute will offer “Life in the Balance: Jewish Perspectives on Everyday Medical Dilemmas” at some 600 locations around the globe — including 10 in the Bay Area — starting later this month.

JLI courses are open to the public and generally are led by Chabad rabbis. They are designed for all levels of Jewish knowledge.

The six-course “Life in the Balance” series will examine questions on a range of topics, including end-of-life issues and the ethical ramifications of new technologies, such as digital autopsies and uterine transplants.

“These important issues are critical to so many people’s lives, yet they are rarely ever discussed,” said Rabbi Yosef Levin, the local JLI instructor in Palo Alto.

Because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the first class will focus on how Ashkenazi Jews are at a heightened risk for inherited breast and ovarian cancer. That class will be free, although there is a fee for the full series.

Founded in 1998, JLI is the adult education branch of Chabad Lubavitch, and it offers an expanding array of programs. Chabad of Berkeley just started a 10-week run of courses on Wednesdays through Dec. 18.

Levin called the JLI classes “a major step forward for Jewish adult education in the Bay Area.”

“What I love about the courses,” added Rabbi Shmulik Friedman of Chabad of San Francisco, “is how they probe classic Jewish thought to address the universal issues we face in contemporary Jewish life.”

Interested students may contact local Chabad centers for details, such as schedule and costs. For more information, visit http://www.myJLI.com.