Questions tagged [pikuachnefesh-danger-life]
Situations in which a life is threatened; most (though not all), Jewish laws are suspended in order to save a life.
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Stealing cigarettes
Say that Reuven smokes. Shimon knows that smoking causes lung cancer, and has tried everything he can think of to help Reuven stop. For that matter, he's gotten the other ten Shevatim, the Avos, and ...
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Did the Jewish soldiers fast before war?
The Mishna Berura in תרפו, ב talks about how in the days of Mordechai and Esther the Jews must have fasted because it was a time when they needed mercy just like when the Jews went to war against ...
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spiritual danger or physical danger?
Around the time of the Holocaust many people in Eastern Europe decided it was better to stay in Europe despite the grave physical dangers (sakana nefashot) rather than leave to America due to the ...
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What's a better choice: Treif meat or human flesh?
If one is stuck on a deserted island with no kosher food and he has a choice between eating human flesh of a dead person or the flesh of a non-kosher animal, which is preferable to eat?
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Killing a Rodef and collateral damage and suicide
Similar but an extension of Killing Civilians in a defensive war
On September 11, 2001, there was a military pilot in an unarmed military jet who considered flying into one of the hijacked planes in ...
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Settling in the dangerous areas in the West Bank
Why is it permissible (or is it permissible) to live in communities in the West Bank that are situated in very dangerous areas even if it constitutes a danger to your own life and the life of your ...
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Hormonal manipulation: Taharas hamishpacha vs. the woman's health
I know* it is quite common among observant Jewish couples to use hormonal methods to prolong, shorten, and/or reschedule the woman's cycle to make taharas hamichpacha timing align better with ...
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May one ride in a utilitarian car?
A new study has confirmed the obvious: people want to survive:
even though participants approve of autonomous vehicles that might sacrifice passengers to save others, respondents would prefer not to ...
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political assasination and rodefs
The classic example of a roded is a murder chasing you with a knife but sometime politicians can threaten life with bad policy.
E.g. Governor of Michigan Wants to use Flint River
Eg politician wants ...
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Judaism and 'Hospice Limited' Care
Let me preface this by saying that I am sure there are many cases in which hospice is likely the best/only place for a person nearing the end of their life-- the only place where their intense medical ...
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Acceptable to receive transplant of organs grown inside pigs?
If scientists could grow human organs inside of pigs, would it be halachically acceptable to receive a transplant of such an organ?
A recent article in National Public Radio about US and British ...
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Giving away olam haba to save someone's life
In the book about Reb Aryeh Levin, "A Tzaddik In Our Time," (by Simcha Raz), Reb Aryeh says that he learned a lesson about self-sacrifice (messirut nefesh) from 2 students of the Vilna Gaon who were ...
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Does a dead man walking get saved on Shobbos?
There's a man who's חייב מיתה by the kingdom. He's in jail waiting to be executed when he slips and falls and bashes his head on Shobbos.
There a guards that could save him.
Do the guards have to ...
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Is it permissible to travel to a 'dangerous' place, if so, what is the shiur?
There is a mitzvah to guard your soul diligently. I am pretty sure this is applied to guarding your physical body from injury.
My question is, may one travel to a place that others may consider ...
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Is sky-diving forbidden because of the risk to one's life?
Is sky-diving forbidden since it might be considered a risk to once life and is not a necessary activity (like e.g., driving a car would be)?
The Torah says (Dvarim 4:15) "guard your souls" and ...
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What should I do if I don't know whether I'm in a pikuach nefesh situation?
Suppose I find myself in a situation where I am not sure whether my life is sufficiently in danger to warrant halachot of pikuach nefesh to come into play. What should I do in this case? Am I supposed ...
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Driving in a Blizzard after Shabbat Begins
Someone is driving and stuck in a blizzard on the highway when Shabbat begins. It would most likely be life threatening to leave the car on the side of the highway and walk in a blinding blizzard. It'...
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Is one allowed to carry a gun for self-defense if local secular law prohibits it?
There is a rule of Dina D'Malchuta Dina - the law of the land is valid, providing that it does not conflict directly with Torah laws.
There is a Torah law of Venishmartem lenafshotechem (Devarim 4:15)...
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Can a Jew tell a Gentile to fix his ambulance on Shabbat?
I Understand that a Jew is not allowed to ask a Gentile to do work for him specifically on Shabbat.
Thus, one cannot bring a car to the Gentile mechanic on Friday and tell him specifically, "Fix my ...
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Shaas hashmad and Arab terrorism
There is a halachik principle brought down in the Talmud and codified in halacha known as shaat hashmad - a time of forced religious persecution. Generally, the rule is that any commandment of the ...
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Can I donate blood on yom tov?
The next blood donation clinic at my university is on Rosh Hashana and not for particular recipients. Would donating blood be halachically sound?
I don't think I could anyway because of all the ...
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Performing a C-section in the Time of Chazal
The Mishna (Bekhorot 8:2) refers to two children born to the same mother, the first by C-section and the second by regular delivery. The Rambam famously comments that it seems exceedingly strange to ...
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Is an on-call doctor allowed to read non-emergency text messages on Shabbat?
My shul has a few doctors who carry their cell phones with them. When their phones buzz (B"H, they are smart enough to put the phones on vibrate mode while davening.) with a text message, they, of ...
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Halachic issues with using a frozen river as a mikvah
One hears a lot of legends about women who went to extraordinary lengths to go to mikvah in difficult times. One popular story is about a woman who would make a hole in a frozen river and tovel in the ...
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Marital relations if pregnancy is potentially life-threatening?
A while ago, I was poking around the Catholic section of Reddit, since I was curious about how the topic of birth control might be handled within it. In a comment to one post, someone stated that his ...
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Is there any obligation for a Jew to save a gentile's life?
Does "al taamod al dam rei'echa" refer to only Jews? Does anyone interpret it as meaning a gentile (who is not an idoloter)?
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Water left unopened
According to this article from the Kof-K one is obligated in covering water bottles, but we dont practice today as snakes are not common, but what if i lived in a desert like city, like Phoenix ...
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May one say a prayer while driving?
In the vein of this question How to say Tefilas HaDerech while on the road alone -- I am wondering whether it is appropriate to say a prayer or make a brocha while concurrently operating a car. ...
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Mosaic Law and ISIS
Recently I had a conversation about ISIS with a friend who is Catholic by faith, he said that ISIS should be stopped but that we (The US or any other foreign power) should not kill them, whereas I ...
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How to say Tefilas HaDerech while on the road alone
My question applies to circumstances in which one is driving an extended distance by oneself. They also apply primarily--though not exclusively--to people who do not have the Tefilos HaDerech ...
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What are the opinions on carrying medicine/medical devices on Shabbat?
Specifically, I'm curious about situations where it's not immediately apparent that it'll be necessary. For example: you don't know whether or not you'll need an epipen when you leave the house, but ...
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Who first said "You're being machmir on pikuach nefesh"?
I've been hearing the phrase "This is not being meikil1 on Shabbos, this is being machmir2 on pikuach nefesh3" for a long time. I've heard it quoted from R' Chaim, from the Gra, and from various and ...
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Is it permissible to live in California (or similar places) that have an earthquake risk?
I'm from a place that usually never gets an earthquake, I want to move to California but it sounds dangerous because of the earthquake possibility (soil turning to liquid, no warning, etc)...
Is ...
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Is it mutar to kill a gentile to save one's life? [duplicate]
I know that it is forbidden to kill another Jew to save your own life, as it says in Sanhedrin 74. Does this law extend to a gentile?
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Saving an innocent person from being wrongly executed by a Beis Din
There is already a question on this site asking about saving a person from being executed (fairly) by a beis din, as well as a question regarding the criminal himself, if he may/must attempt to save ...
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Self-defense in a street fight?
I was in a situation where someone basically approached me indicating he was going to fight me, squared up with me, stared me down etc. pushed me twice, and then I thought to myself, "If he raises a ...
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Where can I find "Mishnas Pikuach Nefesh"?
Not sure if this kind of question is allowed on here. I've been looking for a specific sefer for a long time and I cannot find any seforim store that has it or that has even heard of it.
The sefer I ...
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Pikuach Nefesh and different levels of Halacha
Here's a theoretical: if someone has to save a life and has two equally easy options, both of which violate halacha, one d'oraita and one d'rabbanan. Should he choose the d'oraita or the d'rabbanan?
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Making a bracha on food which is normally assur, but allowed due to pikuach nefesh
In general, one eating forbidden food does not make a bracha.
In certain cases, foods which are usually assur are allowed to be eaten out of a concern of pikuach nefesh -- danger to life. For example,...
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Medical treatment for pregnant woman that jeopardises pregnancy
I ran into an article about a woman who died shortly after refusing cancer treatment in order to be able to carry out her pregnancy. This isn't an uncommon scenario — I can think of at least three ...
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Violating Shabbos for a suicide emergency
Y'all should know by now that we violate Shabbos to preserve human life. If you're still not sure, see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 328, Rambam, Hilchot Shabbos 2 (English), and a few other sources ...
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Killing gentile under threat of death
If someone points a gun at Reuvein's head and tells him, "Kill this Jew or I'll kill you," the halachah is that Reuvein must let himself be killed. What if someone points a gun at Reuvein's head and ...
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How to check blood sugar on Shabbos
Diabetes is a חולי שיש בו סכנה, an illness that poses a danger to life1. As such, everything necessary for caring for diabetes must be done on Shabbos, even if it includes איסורי תורה. (see Shulchan ...
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Is "pikuach nefesh" on shabbos "hutrah" or "dichuya"?
Whenever two mitzvos come into conflict with each other, and one is given precedence over the other (such as in the case of bris milah on Shabbos, or any עשה דוחה לא תעשה (=positive commandment that "...
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Can I choose not to violate Shabbos for "pikuach nefesh"?
According to the Gemara (Yoma 85a-b) and Poskim (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 328, Rambam, Hilchot Shabbos 2 [English Rambam]), one is allowed to violate Shabbos in order to preserve his life. This is ...
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Tahara procedure for a body with an infectious disease
I've heard that one vector for the spread of Ebola is ceremonial contact that family members have with the body of their deceased relative. That led me to think about how Judaism deals with this issue....
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Buying non-Kosher food for home Emergency Kits
The United States federal government, American Red Cross, and surely countless other governments and NGOs recommend that families have Emergency Survival Kits in their homes in case of a natural or ...
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Can I use a firearm to protect my home on Shabbos?
Do the laws of Shabbos preempt my choice of methods to protect my family in the case of a break-in or attack on my home on Shabbos? Also is the the use of a biometric safe to access the weapon ...
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Why is a woman allowed to get pregnant?
This should be taken as a bit of a light hearted question (but not a Purim Torah by any means, I am looking for a real analysis), inspired by a discussion in chat.
Why is a woman allowed to get ...
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How hungry does a Jew have to be to eat non-kosher food?
I understand that Jews are allowed to eat non-kosher food in order to save their lives, source Sanhedrin 74a.
My question is, how long does a Jew have to be deprived of food, before he or she is ...