(יג) לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָ֖͏ֽח׃
(13) You shall not murder...
(טז) ...לֹ֥א תַעֲמֹ֖ד עַל־דַּ֣ם רֵעֶ֑ךָ...׃
(16) ... Do not stand idly by the blood of your fellow...
What is the Trolley Problem?
The trolley problem is a series of thought experiments in ethics and psychology, involving stylized ethical dilemmas of whether to sacrifice one person to save a larger number. The series usually begins with a scenario in which a runaway tram or trolley is on course to collide with and kill a number of people (traditionally five) down the track, but a driver or bystander can intervene and divert the vehicle to kill just one person on a different track. Then other variations of the runaway vehicle, and analogous life-and-death dilemmas (medical, judicial etc.) are posed, each containing the option to either do nothing, in which case several people will be killed, or intervene and sacrifice one initially "safe" person to save the others.
(From Wikipedia)
How do you think we would deal with this problem given our two sources at the top of the page?
(ו) ...שֶׁאֵין דּוֹחִין נֶפֶשׁ מִפְּנֵי נָפֶשׁ:
(6) ...one may not set aside one person's life for that of another.
וּשְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים גּוּפֵיהּ מְנָלַן? סְבָרָא הוּא: כִּי הָהוּא דַּאֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרָבָא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מָרֵי דּוּרַאי אֲמַר לִי: זִיל קַטְלֵיהּ לִפְלָנְיָא, וְאִי לָא — קָטְלִינָא לָךְ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: לִיקְטְלוּךְ וְלָא תִּיקְטוֹל, מַאי חָזֵית דִּדְמָא דִידָךְ סוּמָּק טְפֵי? דִּילְמָא דְּמָא דְּהָהוּא גַּבְרָא סוּמָּק טְפֵי.
The Gemara asks: And from where do we derive this halakha with regard to murder itself? The Gemara answers: It is based on logical reasoning that one life is not preferable to another. The Gemara relates an incident to demonstrate this: This is similar to a certain man who came before Rava and said to him: A local official said to me: Go kill so-and-so, and if not I will kill you. Rava said to him: It is preferable that he should kill you and you should not kill. What did you think, that your blood is redder and more precious than his? Perhaps that man’s blood is redder. Apparently, one may not save his own life by taking someone else’s.
(ה) ...וְכֵן אִם אָמְרוּ לָהֶם עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים תְּנוּ לָנוּ אֶחָד מִכֶּם וְנַהַרְגֶּנּוּ וְאִם לָאו נַהֲרֹג כֻּלְּכֶם. יֵהָרְגוּ כֻּלָּם וְאַל יִמְסְרוּ לָהֶם נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל...
(5) ...Similarly, if gentiles told [a group of Jews]: "Give us one of you to kill. If not, we will kill all of you," they should allow themselves all to be killed rather than give over a single soul to [the gentiles]...
(ה) ...וְאִם יִחֲדוּהוּ לָהֶם וְאָמְרוּ תְּנוּ לָנוּ פְּלוֹנִי אוֹ נַהֲרֹג אֶת כֻּלְּכֶם. אִם הָיָה מְחֻיָּב מִיתָה כְּשֶׁבַע בֶּן בִּכְרִי יִתְּנוּ אוֹתוֹ לָהֶם. וְאֵין מוֹרִין לָהֶם כֵּן לְכַתְּחִלָּה. וְאִם אֵינוֹ חַיָּב מִיתָה יֵהָרְגוּ כֻּלָּן וְאַל יִמְסְרוּ לָהֶם נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל:
(5)...However, if [the gentiles] single out [a specific individual] and say: "Give us so and so or we will kill all of you," [different rules apply]: If the person is obligated to die like Sheva ben Bichri, they may give him over to them. Initially, however, this instruction is not conveyed to them. If he is not obligated to die, they should allow themselves all to be killed rather than give over a single soul to [the gentiles].
מַאי טוּרְיָינוֹס? אָמְרוּ: כְּשֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ טוּרְיָינוֹס לַהֲרוֹג אֶת לוּלְיָנוּס וּפַפּוּס אָחִיו בְּלוּדְקִיָּא, אָמַר לָהֶם: אִם מֵעַמּוֹ שֶׁל חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה אַתֶּם — יָבֹא אֱלֹקֵיכֶם וְיַצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיָּדִי, כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁהִצִּיל אֶת חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה מִיַּד נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר! אָמְרוּ לוֹ: חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה צַדִּיקִים גְּמוּרִין הָיוּ, וּרְאוּיִין הָיוּ לֵיעָשׂוֹת לָהֶם נֵס. וּנְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר מֶלֶךְ הָגוּן הָיָה, וְרָאוּי לַעֲשׂוֹת נֵס עַל יָדוֹ. וְאוֹתוֹ רָשָׁע, הֶדְיוֹט הוּא, וְאֵינוֹ רָאוּי לַעֲשׂוֹת נֵס עַל יָדוֹ. וְאָנוּ נִתְחַיַּיבְנוּ כְּלָיָה לַמָּקוֹם, וְאִם אֵין אַתָּה הוֹרְגֵנוּ — הַרְבֵּה הוֹרְגִים יֵשׁ לוֹ לַמָּקוֹם, וְהַרְבֵּה דּוּבִּין וַאֲרָיוֹת יֵשׁ לוֹ לַמָּקוֹם בְּעוֹלָמוֹ שֶׁפּוֹגְעִין בָּנוּ וְהוֹרְגִין אוֹתָנוּ. אֶלָּא, לֹא מְסָרָנוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּיָדְךָ, אֶלָּא שֶׁעָתִיד לִיפָּרַע דָּמֵינוּ מִיָּדֶךָ. אַף עַל פִּי כֵן הֲרָגָן מִיָּד. אָמְרוּ: לֹא זָזוּ מִשָּׁם, עַד שֶׁבָּאוּ דְּיוֹפָּלֵי מֵרוֹמִי וּפָצְעוּ אֶת מוֹחוֹ בְּגִיזְרִין.
What is the origin of Trajan’s Day? They said in explanation: When Trajan sought to kill the important leaders Luleyanus and his brother Pappas in Laodicea, he said to them: If you are from the nation of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, let your God come and save you from my hand, just as He saved Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. Luleyanus and Pappas said to him: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were full-fledged righteous people, and they were worthy that a miracle should be performed for them, and Nebuchadnezzar was a legitimate king who rose to power through his merit, and it is fitting that a miracle be performed through him. But this wicked man, Trajan, is a commoner, not a real king, and it is not fitting that a miracle be performed through him. Luleyanus and Pappas continued: And we are not wholly righteous, and have been condemned to destruction by the Omnipresent for our sins. And if you do not kill us, the Omnipresent has many other executioners. And if men do not kill us, the Omnipresent has many bears and lions in His world that can hurt us and kill us. Instead, the Holy One, Blessed be He, placed us into your hands only so that He will avenge our blood in the future. Even so, Trajan remained unmoved by their response and killed them immediately. It is said that they had not moved from the place of execution when two officials [diyoflei] arrived from Rome with permission to remove Trajan from power, and they split his skull with clubs. This was viewed as an act of divine retribution and was established as a commemorative day.
לוליינוס ופפוס אחיו – צדיקים גמורים היו: בלודקי' – היא לוד והיינו דאמרינן בכל דוכתא (ב"ב דף י:) הרוגי לוד אין כל בריה יכולה לעמוד במחיצתן בגן עדן ויש אומרין שנהרגו על בתו של מלך שנמצאת הרוגה ואמרו היהודים הרגוה וגזרו גזרה על שונאיהן של ישראל ועמדו אלו ופדו את ישראל ואמרו אנו הרגנוה והרג המלך לאלו בלבד...