GEMARA: The Sages taught in a baraita: With regard to a pregnant woman who smelled consecrated meat or pig meat and craved those specific foods, one inserts a thin reed into the juice of that item and places it on her mouth. If her mind become settled with that, it is well. And if not, one feeds her the gravy itself of that forbidden food. If her mind becomes settled with that, it is well. And if not, one feeds her the fat of the forbidden food itself, as there is no halakha that stands in the way of saving a life except for the prohibitions against idol worship, and forbidden sexual relationships, and bloodshed. The Gemara clarifies: With regard to the halakha that the prohibition against idol worship takes precedence over saving one’s life, from where do we derive this? As it was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer says: If it is stated: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 6:5), why is it stated in the continuation of the verse: “And with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5)? And if it is stated: “With all your might,” why is it stated: “With all your soul”? One of these statements appears to be superfluous. Rather, it is to teach that if there is a person whose body is more beloved to him than his property, therefore it is stated: “With all your soul.” The verse teaches that one must be willing to sacrifice his life to sanctify God’s name. And if there is a person whose property is more beloved to him than his body, therefore it is stated: “With all your might.” Rabbi Eliezer understands the phrase “with all your might” to mean: With all your possessions. Therefore, one must be prepared to forfeit his life rather than be saved through idol worship. § With regard to the concept that one must surrender his life rather than have forbidden sexual relations or shed blood through murder, from where do we derive this? As it was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: It is stated about the rape of a betrothed woman: “For as when a man rises against his fellow and slays him, even so is this matter” (Deuteronomy 22:26). One might ask: What idea did we learn about a betrothed woman from a murderer? The halakha of a betrothed woman is clear; what new point is learned by comparing it to the halakha of a murderer? Rather, this halakha about the murderer, which appears to come to teach about the betrothed woman, is found to actually be the subject of teaching. The inference is as follows: Just as with regard to the betrothed woman, permission is given to save her at the cost of the life of her attacker, so too, the murderer may be saved from committing the crime at the cost of his life, i.e., one may save the victim by killing the attacker. Another teaching is derived in the opposite direction, from the case of murder to the case of rape. Just as the murderer is subject to the halakha of let him be killed, and let him not transgress, i.e., one must even allow himself to be killed rather than take the life of another, so too, a man must surrender his life rather than engage in forbidden sexual relations with a betrothed young woman. By inference, the halakha of let him be killed, and let him not transgress, applies to all forbidden sexual relations. The Gemara asks: And with regard to the murderer himself, from where do we derive this halakha that he should be killed rather than transgress the prohibition against murder? The Gemara answers: It is derived through reason, as it was told: A certain person came before Rava. He said to Rava: The master of the village where I live said to me: Kill so-and-so, and if you do not do so, I will kill you. What should I do? Rava said to him: Let yourself be killed, and you should not kill. Rava reasoned: What did you see to make you think that your blood is redder and more important than his? Perhaps the blood of that man is redder, and he is more important than you. If so, it is logical that one must not kill another person to save himself.
These [martyrs] I will remember and pour out my soul within me. For wicked people have swallowed us, like a cake, unturned, [not fully baked] for during the days of Caeser there was no remedy [reprieve] for the ten martyrs, doomed to death by the [Roman] government. Having learned the Written law from those who are compared to heaps of grain [Torah Scholars], who understand how to examine the Written Law; He began to study “These are the Laws,” and with malicious intent, read the verse: “If one kidnaps a person and sells him, if he is found in his hands, he shall be put to death.” The head of the idolator swelled with malice and commanded to fill his palace with shoes. He summoned ten great scholars who understood the Law and all of its intricacies. [He ordered]: “decide this case objectively and don't distort it with intentional trickery, but rather bring it out to its true light: If a man was found to have kidnapped one of his brothers, from among the Children of Yisrael; treating him as a slave and selling him.” They answered him: “The kidnapper should be put to death.” He then exclaimed “Where are your fathers, who sold their brother and dealt him to a caravan of Ishmaelites for pairs of shoes.” You, therefore, must accept the law of God upon yourselves, for from the time of your fathers there has been none like yourselves. For if they were still living, I would judge them before you, but now, you must bear the guilt of the sin of your fathers. They answered,“Give us time, three days until we can determine if this has been decreed from heaven. For if we are guilty then we will accept the decree of He who is all merciful.” Trembling and shaking with fear They all turned to Rabbi Yishmael the High Priest and cast their eyes on him, to mention the explicit Name of God and thereby ascend to his Master, to know if the decree has come from God. Rabbi Yishmael purified himself and, trembling, uttered the Name, and ascended to heaven, and asked the man who wore garments of linen. He answered him, “Accept it upon yourselves beloved, righteous ones, for I have heard from behind the separation that this will be your demise.” He descended and told his friends the words of God. The evil tyrant then commanded to kill them with force and strength. The two which were taken first were great ones in Yisrael, Rabbi Yishmael, the High Priest, and Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, the head of the High Court. “Take off my head first he (R' Yishmael) pleaded while (Raban Shimon ben Gamliel) asked, “let me be killed first, so I will not have to see the death of one who serves God.” The wicked snake thus decided to draw lots and the lot fell on Rabbi Shimon. He hastened to shed his blood as though it was that of an ox. When his head was severed R' Yishmael picked it up and wept over it with a bitter voice, like the sound of a shofar. How could such a tongue, which so eagerly taught words of Torah, because of [our] iniquities now lick the dust. How he wept over him trembling [with grief] the daughter of the evil tyrant, upon [hearing] the cry of R' Yishmael, stood and, seeing his beauty, coveted him and asked her father if he would spare him. But the evil tyrant refused. Tear off the skin of his face, she asked him, and this he agreed to do. When he reached the place of the Tefillin, he let out a bitter cry to the Creator of his soul. The angels above cried out bitterly Is this the reward for Torah, God Almighty, Creator of light? Behold how the enemy blasphemes Your great and awesome Name, and scorns and ridicules the words of the Torah. A voice answered from heaven, “If I hear another sound I will turn the world to water, to its [original] emptiness and desolation will I return the world for it is My decree; accept it, all of you who love the Torah [that preceded creation] by two thousand years.” The princes of the Jewish people were killed, those who spent long hours in the synagogue. They were filled with mitzvos like a pomegranate is filled with seeds, and like the corners [of the Altar were filled with blood.] They then brought out Rabbi Akiva, who expounded upon the crowns of the letters. They lacerated his skin with iron combs. He commanded them to bring out Rabbi Chananya ben Tradyon from his house of study, and on a pyre of green brushwood they burnt his body. Layers of wet wool were placed on his chest to prolong the agony; and when they were removed he was consumed immediately together with the Torah Scroll he held. Mourn, oh people who are not forsaken, for over insignificant matters was their blood spilt. To sanctify the Name of God they sacrificed their lives, as through the murder of Rabbi Chutzpis, the interpreter. Let trembling seize all who hear and each eye flow with tears and all joy be turned to mourning because of the murder of Rabbi Eleazar ben Shamua. Our oppressors have slaughered us, and satisfied themselves with my delicacies. How they made us drink poison when they murdered Rabbi Chanina ben Chachinai. They tortured us [that we should] reject the commandments; and refused to accept neither bribe nor ransom. Only the lives of those who studied the Torah [would they take] like that of Rabbi Yeshaivav, the scribe. The children of Edom have desolated us. They have oppressed us more than all the kings on the earth; and have slaughtered so many of us, as they killed Rabbi Yehuda ben Damah. You have said The house of Yaakov is fire and the house of Yosef a flame; but for now the straw has extinguished the fire. Eternal God! crush their arrogance, and bring swiftly the day of their destruction for they agreed to execute ten righteous men, including Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava. All this happened to us and we tell it over again. We pour out [our] hearts of grief and depression. Hear our supplication from above Adonoy, Adonoy, Almighty, Merciful and Gracious. Gracious One! Look down from Heaven at the spilled blood of the righteous, [even] their life blood. Look from the place of Your holy Presence and remove all stains [of guilt].