רמבם, הלכות סנהדרין יב:ג
לפיכך נברא אדם יחידי בעולם ללמד שכל המאבד נפש אחת מן העולם מעלין עליו כאילו איבד עולם מלא וכל המקיים נפש אחת בעולם מעלין עליו כאילו קיים עולם מלא.
For this reason, man was created alone in the world. This teaches us that a person who eliminates one human life from the world is considered as if he eliminated an entire world and a person who saves one human life is considered as if she saved an entire world.
[AJWS translation]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. What does it mean to save an entire world? Whose world?
2. What are the implications of this text on issues of discrimination?
Time Period: Medieval (Geonim through the 16th Century)