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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Is it a mitzva to escape the death penalty?
If someone is being led to his death by bes din (a Jewish court), is he supposed to try to escape, since, in general, saving one's own life is paramount? More: normally, we say that if someone is out ...
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Are Jews permitted to martyr themselves?
Are Jews permitted to martyr themselves? For example, if it is a question of converting or being killed, is the Jew permitted to sacrifice himself rather than convert?
Separately: which would be ...
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Setting aside Shabbat to answer the President's call
In an old MSNBC news story about Jack Lew, a Shabbat-observant Jew who was just appointed to be the new White House Chief of Staff, there's a story about his getting a call from President Clinton when ...
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Are you allowed to save a non-Jew's life on shabbos?
Is a Jew allowed to violate shabbos to save a non-Jew's life?
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At what cost must one perform a mitzvah?
To what lengths must one go to fulfill a positive commandment, or avoid transgressing a negative one?
Obviously, with few exceptions, one must not go so far as to die in order to fulfill a ...
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Why do Jews look before crossing streets?
If Jews claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, why do we look before we cross the road? I'm a Jewish man myself and personally never look before crossing and have ...
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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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Saving a Life During Tefillah
If one is in middle of Shemoneh Esrei (which is the only part of Tefillah, I could think of where there might be a problem), and there is a life to be saved, is he/she allowed to interrupt the ...
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Which actions are prohibited even to save a life?
I know that many commandments, e.g. keeping Shabbat, not lying, etc., must be violated if doing so is necessary to save a life.
For which commandments is this not true? Does it ever matter how many ...
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Is Pork, Camel, and the like Fleishig?
If one somehow consumed meat of a non-kosher species such as camel or pork (e.g. life-threatening illness, or by accident), does s/he become Fleishig?
Why or why not?
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Can one join an army?
Is one allowed to join an army (let's say not the Israeli one) as doing so is putting oneself in a place of sakana?
If one is not allowed to join an army in general, is one allowed to join an army for ...
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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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"Torturing for Information" in Halacha
Would torture to extract information to save lives (eg in the Ticking time bomb case) be permitted according to Judaism? What's the status of torture in Halacha?
And if it is permitted in certain ...
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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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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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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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Should one living in Israel leave?
The Torah commands us, ‘Venishmartem meod lenafshotechem' ['You shall take care exceedingly of your lives' — Deut. 4:15).
It seems anyone living in Israel is in grave danger due to the recent ...
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Is stealing food OK?
If you or your loved ones are starving, are you allowed to steal food from those who have more than they need? On the face of it, yes, of course: Pikuach nefesh says you can break any commandment to ...
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Does one make a blessing if preparing to die al kiddush Hashem?
If one is reasonably sure that he is about to die al kiddush Hashem does he make a blessing before fulfilling this mitzvah? What would the nusach (text) of this blessing be?
Note: I realize that even ...
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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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Can one go on a boat during the 9 Days?
I had heard that one should not go on a boat during the 9 Days because going on the water is dangerous and one should not go on a dangerous trip during the 9 Days. Is there any truth to any ...
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Does a Food Mashgiach have to Sacrifice his Life?
Suppose a Mashgiach of a food establishment is threatened to "keep quiet" about some of the questionable behaviors [for purposes of the question, consider both actual non-kosher, and possibly non-...
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Returning after driving someone to the hospital on Shabbat
If a man needs to be brought to the hospital on Shabbat due to a life threatening situation, another man may bring him there even by violating biblical Shabbat prohibitions (e.g. driving a car). Which ...
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Is Metzitzah B'peh a must?
There is a lot of talk in the news, etc., about Metzitzah B'peh that employs direct oral contact being dangerous.
First: If it is dangerous, shouldn't pikuach nefesh push it off?
Second: How ...
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If my home is on fire on Shabbos or Yom Tov, what can I do?
G-d forbid, but let's say that my house catches fire either on Shabbos or a Yom Tov. Can I call 911 or must I find a non-Jewish neighbor to call? We have an eruv. Can I take my car keys, cell phone ...
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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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Is the prohibition of swimming during the nine-days because of danger or bathing for pleasure?
Is the prohibition of swimming during the nine days because of an increased danger during the nine days or is it because of the fact that you cant bathe for pleasure during the nine days?
Or is it a ...
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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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Is Chayecha Kodmin a Chiyuv or a right
If one is presented with a case of either save himself or his friend, he is permitted to save himself. Does he have to?
I saw this thread which set my mind going, are the usual airplane guidelines ...
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Whom does one save first?
As a follow up to the controversy regarding the Costa Concordia
If a ship is in danger of sinking, is the captain allowed to save himself first, or must he be the last man off the ship?
Do the men ...
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During the nine days, can we do something "slightly dangerous" in order to fulfill a mitzvah?
During the nine days, many hold that we refrain from activities that are considered even slightly dangerous; for example, air travel.
However, I have read that R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (who ...
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Is it a mitzvah to save someone from execution by Beth Din?
I am wondering how the laws of pikuach nefesh might apply to a situation of mitath beth din. Would bystanders be obliged to save the condemned from his lawful execution? What about members of the beth ...
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Circumcision when danger to life, born Jews and potential gerim
In this post, Skylar refers to teshuvos from the Seride Esh and R. AY Kook which rule that a male non-Jew may not convert if he is unable to undergo milah.
Does pikuach nefesh completely push off the ...
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Back to orthodoxy, can't stop violating a commandment for the sake of someone's life [closed]
There was this mathematician Kurt Goedel who died of starvation because he ate nothing but food prepared by his wife who was hospitalised for a long period. This is a fact. There are people who die ...
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Which rabbis forbade cars 100 years ago?
"Venishmartem Meod Lenafshoseichem"
I heard that there were Rabbonim about 100 years ago who forbade cars, saying that they were dangerous. Does anyone know who they were?
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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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What are the parameters of shomer pesaim Hashem?
While the Torah forbids one to place himself into a situation of danger, some degree of slightly risky behavior is allowable under the concept of shomer pesaim Hashem. Are the parameters of this ...
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Is there a prohibition on eating meat and poultry together?
Although I knew about the prohibition of eating fish and meat together, and also about the quite serious restrictions in my community on eating dairy and fish together, I had never heard that we are ...
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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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Are you allowed to risk dying to save others?
I would like some clarification about the risks of trying to save someone's life by breaking a commandment, or pikuach nefesh.
In Bava Metzia 62a, Rabbi Akiva ruled that your life has priority over ...
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Rockets from Gaza while praying
I live in Israel where there are presently (late 2012) ongoing rockets fired at us from Gaza. We are warned of an impending rocket by a loud siren that gives us less than a minute to run to a bomb ...
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According to Halacha, may we endanger many Jewish lives in order to definitely save one Jew?
For example, what does Halacha say about the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange?
"Save" means "free from captivity," although in many cases it's the same thing as saving his\her life (e.g. if we didn't ...
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Is an accidental murderer allowed to stand and fight the Goel HaDam?
As we know, during times when the Sanhedrin is fully operating, an accidental murderer must flee to an Ir Miklat (City of Refuge). If he leaves such a city or does not enter, he is subject to revenge ...
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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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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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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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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 ...
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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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Does learning Torah or doing Mitzvos protect others from enemies?
I know from the gemarah Bava Basra 7b-8a that learning (being a talmid chacham) or doing many mitzvos can protect oneself from enemies (such that when a city is taxed for a wall that was built to ...
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Sharp sword on the throat
The Gemara says Berachot 10a
אפי' חרב חדה מונחת על צוארו של אדם אל ימנע עצמו מן הרחמים
Even if a sharp sword is resting on one's thought he shouldn't hold back from (asking for) mercy."
Why does ...
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