Pikuach Nefesh in Shulchan Aruch

(1) Someone who has a mere bad feeling, but he strengthens himself and walks around like a healthy person, it is forbidden to do any healing for him, even by nonJews, because of grinding spices [lest one grind spices for medicine]...

(2) For someone who has a dangerous illness, it is a commandment to break Shabbat for him. One who hurries to do this is praised. One who asks about this is a murderer.

(3) For every internal sore, which is from the teeth inwards including the teeth, Shabbat should be broken. This is specifically when one of the internal organs is damaged from some sort of wound or the like, but general pains are not referred to as wounds. Rem"a: However, if someone has problems with his teeth and it pains him, he can ask a non-Jew to remove the tooth (Beit Yosef in the name of Orhot Hayim and Issur v'Heter Haaroch).

(4) An internal injury does not require an [expert] appraisal, so even if there are no experts there, and the sick person does not say anything, they do for him as they would be accustomed to do for him on a weekday. But when they know and recognize that the particular illness can wait and does not require [Sabbath] desecration, it is forbidden to desecrate over it even though it is an internal injury

(5) An injury that is not internal, they ask an expert and the sick person, and they do not desecrate the Sabbath until one of them says he needs desecration, that it is by [i.e., according to] one of them lifethreatening (and see below, Siman 618)

(6) A wound that is on the back of the hand and the back of the foot, and so someone who swallowed a leech [?], and so someone who was bitten by a rabid dog, or one of the deadly crawling animals, even if it is a doubt as to whether it is deadly or not, it is like an internal injury.

(7) They desecrate the Sabbath over every wound that is made by iron, and boils that come in the anus, and for "simta," which is called "Plunkr" in gentile language, and over someone who has an exceedingly high fever, or "Simur."

(8) Someone who is overtaken by "blood" they let his blood, even if he is walking on his feet and even on the first day.

(10) Every illness that the doctors say is dangerous, even though it is external on the flesh, they desecrate Sabbath for it. And if one doctor says [the treatment] is necessary [to save the patient's life] and one doctor says it is not necessary, they desecrate [the Sabbath by treating the patient]. And there is someone who says that it does not require an expert, because everyone is considered a bit of an expert, and a doubt when a life is at stake is resolved leniently. Gloss: Some say this is specifically regarding a Jew [that a nonexpert is relied upon] but ordinary nonJews who are not doctors are not treated like experts. Someone whom they wish to force to violate a great sin they do not desecrate the Sabbath for him in order to save him [from the sin].

(11) Everyone who operates with alacrity to desecrate the Sabbath in a matter where there is a danger, behold this is praiseworthy, even if he accomplishes thereby something else [incidental], such as if he spread a net to bring up a child who fell in the river, and he caught fish with it, and any similar case.

(12)

(15) If the doctors appraised him (that is, examined his illness and estimated) that he requires one fig, and ten people ran and each brought him one fig, they are all exempt, and they have a good reward from God, even if he got well with the first.

(17) A sick person who is in bed with his illness but is not in danger Rem"a: Or if he has a pain that is bothering him and his whole body pains him, even if he still walks, he is similar to someone bedridden (HaMagid Chapter 2), we tell a non-Jew to provide medical treatment, but we do not violate Toraitic Shabbat prohibitions even if he has an endangered body part. Regarding a Jew actively breaking a rabbinic prohibition, there are some who allow it even if he does not have an endangered body part. There are those who say that if he has an endangered body part we break and if he doesn't, we do not break. There are those who say that if he doesn't have an endangered body part, we desecrate with a slight change, and if he has an endangered body part, we break without a change. And there are those who say that even if he has an endangered body part, we do not break any prohibition that is related to a Toraitic labor, and things that have no connection, we do even if he does not have an endangered body part. This third position is right. Rem"a: It is permitted to tell a non-Jew to cook something for a child that has nothing to eat, because the needs of a child are comparable to a non-endangered sick person. And everything that is forbidden for a Jew to do is also forbidden for the sick person himself to do, but if a non-Jew is doing something, the sick person is allowed to help a bit, because aiding is not considered substantial.

(18) A sick person who fell, because of his illness, to bed, but he is not in danger. <gloss: or he has a pain that he is suffering and his whole body is sick, for then even though he can walk he is like one who has taken to his bed> they tell a non-Jew to do healing for him, but they do not desecrate the Sabbath for him by biblical prohibitions, even if one of his limbs is in danger....

(34) 34. A nursing mother may not express milk into a cup or bowl in order to nurse her baby.

(35) 35. A nursing mother may express milk so that the baby will grasp the breast and suck. RAMA: but she is prohibited to spray her milk onto someone who is depressed because it is not life threatening. (Beis Yosef in the name of the Shibulei Leket).

(36) 36.

(47) 46.

(1) 1. All cases of saving a life supersede Shabbat, and he who hurries in these matters is praised. Even if there is a fire in a different yard and there is concern that it will move to this yard and cause danger, we put it out to ensure that it does not spread.

(2) 2. Life-threatening cases do not go by the majority. Even if there are nine idolaters and one Jew in a yard, and one leaves to a different yard where there is an avalanche, the debris is removed, because the first group is still stationery and is considered half and half. However, if they have all left, and while they were leaving, one goes to another yard where there is an avalanche, the debris is not removed, because the first group is no longer stationery, so we say that whoever left the group is associated with the majority.

(3) 3. Someone who experiences an avalanche, if he may be alive and may be dead, if he may be there or may not be there, even if he is for sure there but he may be Jewish or may be an idolater, we remove the debris, even though there are many degrees of doubt.

(4) 4. Even if they find him trampled and he can only live a few hours, they check his nose, and if they feel no life, he is for sure dead. [They must do this] whether they uncover his nose or his legs first.

(5) 5. If, [while digging through the debris], the top bodies are found to be dead, they should not assume that the bottom ones are also dead. Rather, they should uncover them in case they are still alive.

(6) 6. Regarding non-Jews who besiege Jewish cities: if they come for money, we do not desecrate the Shabbat [to protect ourselves], but if they came to kill or come with no presented reason, we go out with weapons and desecrate the Shabbat. In a city that is near the border, even if they just come for straw or hay, we desecrate the Shabbat. Rem"a: Even if they haven't come but they want to come (Or Zarua).

(7) 7. There is one who says that in our times, even if they come for money, we desecrate the Shabbat, because if the non-Jew does not allow them to plunder his money, it will become deadly. (In any event, everything is according to the situation(Piskei Mahara'i Chapter 156).)

(8) 8. One who sees a boat with Jews that is endangered at sea or in a flowing river, or an individual being chased by idolaters, it is a commandment to desecrate Shabbat to save them. (And see above at the end of chapter 306 regarding whether one desecrates Shabbat if someone wants to rape him.)

(9) 9. All who go out to save may return with their weapons.

(1) 1. A woman giving birth is treated as a dangerously ill person and Shabbat is desecrated for everything that she needs. We call a midwife from place to place. We help (her) give birth and light a candle for her, even if she is blind. In any event, that which can be done slightly differently is done differently. For example, if she needs an object brought to her, her friend can bring it tied to her hair, etc.

(2) 2. We do not help a non-Jew give birth on Shabbat, even by doing something that involves no desecration of Shabbat.

(3) 3. She is considered in childbirth regarding desecration of Shabbat if she is sitting on the "crisis chair," or if blood is flowing, or if her friends must lift her by her arms because she cannot walk. If one of these signs appears, we desecrate the Shabbat for her.

(4) 4. All three days [after childbirth], even if she says that it is not necessary, we desecrate the Shabbat for her. From day three to day seven, if she says it isn't necessary, we don't desecrate. From seven on, even if she says it is necessary, we don't desecrate; rather, until day thirty, she is treated as a non-endangered sick person.

(5) 5. If she dies while in labor, we bring a knife even through the public domain on Shabbat and cut open her stomach to remove the fetus, in case it is found to be alive. Rem"a: We do not even do this on weekdays because we are not skilled at identifying the mother's death soon enough such that it is possible that fetus can be alive (Issur v'Heter).

(6) 6. We make a fire for the mother until thirty days after childbirth, even in the summer. (Regarding whether others are allowed to warm themselves by this fire, see chapter 276.)

(7) 7. For the newborn, we take care of all of his needs. We wash him, salt him, hide the placenta so that the child will be warm, and cut the umbilical cord. This is for a nine-month or a seven-month infant, but for an eight-month infant or possibly seven and possibly eight, we do not desecrate the Shabbat unless he has grown hair and nails.

(8) 8. If the infant was born after an eight-month pregnancy or after a pregnancy which may be either seven or eight months and he does not have grown hair or nails, it is forbidden to carry him. His mother leans over him and breastfeeds him because the milk pains her. She can also use her hand to release the milk that pains her.

(9) 9. We set an infant's limbs straight if they were broken because of the pain of childbirth.

(10) 10. It is permitted to swaddle the infant in clothes so that his limbs will not be crooked.

(11) 11. If the esophagus of the infant falls, it is permitted to put a hand in his throat and put it back in place even if this may induce vomiting.