The Imperative to Save Life

ByEvan Krame

Jewish Studio

משנה יומא ח׳:ו׳-ז׳

(ו) מִי שֶׁאֲחָזוֹ בֻלְמוּס, מַאֲכִילִין אוֹתוֹ אֲפִלּוּ דְבָרִים טְמֵאִים, עַד שֶׁיֵּאוֹרוּ עֵינָיו. מִי שֶׁנְּשָׁכוֹ כֶלֶב שׁוֹטֶה, אֵין מַאֲכִילִין אוֹתוֹ מֵחֲצַר כָּבֵד שֶׁלוֹ, וְרַבִּי מַתְיָא בֶן חָרָשׁ מַתִּיר. וְעוֹד אָמַר רַבִּי מַתְיָא בֶן חָרָשׁ, הַחוֹשֵׁשׁ בִּגְרוֹנוֹ, מַטִּילִין לוֹ סַם בְּתוֹךְ פִּיו בְּשַׁבָּת, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא סְפֵק נְפָשׁוֹת, וְכָל סְפֵק נְפָשׁוֹת דּוֹחֶה אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת:

(ז) מִי שֶׁנָּפְלָה עָלָיו מַפֹּלֶת, סָפֵק הוּא שָׁם סָפֵק אֵינוֹ שָׁם, סָפֵק חַי סָפֵק מֵת, סָפֵק נָכְרִי סָפֵק יִשְׂרָאֵל, מְפַקְּחִין עָלָיו אֶת הַגַּל. מְצָאוּהוּ חַי, מְפַקְּחִין עָלָיו. וְאִם מֵת, יַנִּיחוּהוּ:

Mishnah Yoma 8:6-7

(6) In the case of one who is seized with the life-threatening illness bulmos, causing him unbearable hunger pangs and impaired vision, one may feed him even impure foods on Yom Kippur or any other day until his eyes recover, as the return of his sight indicates that he is recovering. In the case of one whom a mad dog bit, one may not feed him from the lobe of the dog’s liver. This was thought to be a remedy for the bite, but the Rabbis deem it ineffective. And Rabbi Matya ben Ḥarash permits feeding it to him, as he deems it effective. And furthermore, Rabbi Matya ben Ḥarash said: With regard to one who suffers pain in his throat, one may place medicine inside his mouth on Shabbat, although administering a remedy is prohibited on Shabbat. This is because there is uncertainty whether or not it is a life-threatening situation for him, as it is difficult to ascertain the severity of internal pain. And a case of uncertainty concerning a life-threatening situation overrides Shabbat.

(7) Similarly, with regard to one upon whom a rockslide fell, and there is uncertainty whether he is there under the debris or whether he is not there; and there is uncertainty whether he is still alive or whether he is dead; and there is uncertainty whether the person under the debris is a gentile or whether he is a Jew, one clears the pile from atop him. One may perform any action necessary to rescue him from beneath the debris. If they found him alive after beginning to clear the debris, they continue to clear the pile until they can extricate him. And if they found him dead, they should leave him, since one may not desecrate Shabbat to preserve the dignity of the dead.

יומא פ״ד ב:ז׳-ח׳

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: מְפַקְּחִין פִּקּוּחַ נֶפֶשׁ בְּשַׁבָּת, וְהַזָּרִיז הֲרֵי זֶה מְשׁוּבָּח, וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לִיטּוֹל רְשׁוּת מִבֵּית דִּין. הָא כֵּיצַד? רָאָה תִּינוֹק שֶׁנָּפַל לַיָּם — פּוֹרֵשׂ מְצוּדָה וּמַעֲלֵהוּ, וְהַזָּרִיז הֲרֵי זֶה מְשׁוּבָּח, וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לִיטּוֹל רְשׁוּת מִבֵּית דִּין. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּקָא צָיֵיד כְּווֹרֵי. רָאָה תִּינוֹק שֶׁנָּפַל לְבוֹר — עוֹקֵר חוּלְיָא וּמַעֲלֵהוּ, וְהַזָּרִיז הֲרֵי זֶה מְשׁוּבָּח, וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לִיטּוֹל רְשׁוּת מִבֵּית דִּין. אַף עַל גַּב דִּמְתַקֵּן דַּרְגָּא. רָאָה שֶׁנִּנְעֲלָה דֶּלֶת בִּפְנֵי תִּינוֹק — שׁוֹבְרָהּ וּמוֹצִיאוֹ, וְהַזָּרִיז הֲרֵי זֶה מְשׁוּבָּח, וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לִיטּוֹל רְשׁוּת מִבֵּית דִּין. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּקָא מִיכַּוֵּין לְמִיתְבַּר בְּשִׁיפֵי. מְכַבִּין וּמַפְסִיקִין מִפְּנֵי הַדְּלֵיקָה בְּשַׁבָּת, וְהַזָּרִיז הֲרֵי זֶה מְשׁוּבָּח, וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לִיטּוֹל רְשׁוּת מִבֵּית דִּין. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּקָא מְמַכֵּיךְ מַכּוֹכֵי.

Yoma 84b:7-8

§ The Sages taught in a baraita: One engages in saving a life on Shabbat, and one who is vigilant to do so is praiseworthy. And one need not take permission from a court but hurries to act on his own. How so? If one sees a child who fell into the sea, he spreads a fisherman’s net and raises him from the water. And one who is vigilant and acts quickly is praiseworthy, and one need not seek permission from a court, although in doing so he catches fish in the net as well. Similarly, if one sees a child fall into a pit and the child cannot get out, he digs part of the ground out around the edge of the pit to create a makeshift step and raises him out. And one who is vigilant and acts quickly is praiseworthy, and one need not seek permission from a court, although in doing so he fashions a step. Similarly, if one sees that a door is locked before a child and the child is scared and crying, he breaks the door and takes the child out. And one who is vigilant and acts quickly is praiseworthy, and one need not seek permission from a court, although he intends to break it into boards to be used later. Similarly, one may extinguish a fire by placing a barrier of metal or clay vessels filled with water in front of it on Shabbat when life is endangered. And one who is vigilant and acts quickly is praiseworthy, and one need not seek permission from a court, although he leaves the coals, which can be used for cooking after Shabbat.

יומא פ״ד ב:י״א

מְכַבִּין וּמַפְסִיקִין. לְמָה לִי? דַּאֲפִילּוּ לְחָצֵר אַחֶרֶת.

Yoma 84b:11

It was taught in a baraita that one may extinguish a fire by placing a barrier in front of it on Shabbat. The Gemara asks: Why do I need this? What new point is taught by this additional case of a life-endangering situation? The Gemara answers: This halakha applies even if the fire is spreading toward another courtyard. Not only may this be done to save the lives of people in the courtyard on fire; it may also be done to prevent the fire from spreading to an adjacent courtyard.

סנהדרין ע״ד א:י׳

אבל הרודף אחר בהמה: תניא רשב"י אומר העובד עבודת כוכבים ניתן להצילו בנפשו מק"ו ומה פגם הדיוט ניתן להצילו בנפשו פגם גבוה לא כל שכן וכי עונשין מן הדין קא סבר עונשין מן הדין

Sanhedrin 74a:10

§ The mishna teaches: But with regard to one who pursues an animal to sodomize it, or one who seeks to desecrate Shabbat, or one who is going to engage in idol worship, they are not saved at the cost of their lives. It is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: One who seeks to worship idols may be saved from transgressing at the cost of his life. This is derived through an a fortiori inference: If to avoid the degradation of an ordinary person, such as in the case of a rapist who degrades his victim, he can be saved even at the cost of his life, all the more so is it not clear that one may kill the transgressor to avoid the degrading of the honor of God through the worship of idols? The Gemara asks: But does the court administer punishment based on an a fortiori inference? The Gemara answers: Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai maintains that the court administers punishment based on an a fortiori inference.

הוריות י״ג א:ב׳

ת"ר פר כהן משיח ופר העדה עומדים פר כהן משיח קודם לפר העדה בכל מעשיו הואיל ומשיח מכפר ועדה מתכפרת דין הוא שיקדים המכפר למתכפר וכן הוא אומר (ויקרא טז, יז) וכפר בעדו ובעד ביתו ובעד כל קהל ישראל

Horayot 13a:2

The Sages taught in a baraita: If the bull of the anointed priest and the bull of the congregation are pending, the bull of the anointed priest precedes the bull of the congregation in all its actions. Since the anointed priest atones for the entire Jewish people, and the congregation gains atonement, it is logical that the one who atones will precede the one who gains atonement. And so the verse states: “And he shall atone for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel” (Leviticus 16:17).

הוריות י״ג א:ח׳

מתני׳ האיש קודם לאשה להחיות ולהשב אבדה והאשה קודמת לאיש לכסות ולהוציא מבית השבי בזמן ששניהם עומדים בקלקלה האיש קודם לאשה:

Horayot 13a:8

MISHNA: The man precedes the woman when there is uncertainty with regard to which of them to rescue or to return a lost item to first. And the woman precedes the man with regard to which of them to provide with a garment first, because her humiliation is great, or to release from captivity first, due to the concern that she will be raped. When they are both subject to degradation, i.e., there is also concern that the man will be raped in captivity, the release of the man precedes the release of the woman.

הוריות י״ג א:י״ז

מתני׳ כהן קודם ללוי לוי לישראל ישראל לממזר וממזר לנתין ונתין לגר וגר לעבד משוחרר אימתי בזמן שכולם שוים אבל אם היה ממזר תלמיד חכם וכהן גדול עם הארץ ממזר תלמיד חכם קודם לכהן גדול עם הארץ:

Horayot 13a:17

MISHNA: A priest precedes a Levite. A Levite precedes an Israelite. An Israelite precedes a son born from an incestuous or adulterous relationship [mamzer], and a mamzer precedes a Gibeonite, and a Gibeonite precedes a convert, and a convert precedes an emancipated slave. When do these halakhot of precedence take effect? In circumstances when they are all equal in terms of wisdom. But if there were a mamzer who is a Torah scholar and a High Priest who is an ignoramus, a mamzer who is a Torah scholar precedes a High Priest who is an ignoramus, as Torah wisdom surpasses all else.