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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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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Who is pulled to safety first?
If a group of people are in mortal danger, all of the same gender (cf. Horayot 13a; some suggest that the Mishnah on Horayot is not discussing a case of rescuing from physical danger, cf. Tziz Eliezer ...
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How much effort should be expended searching for the missing?
Say a Jewish person gets pulled out to sea while rescuing someone from drowning and goes missing, lost at sea. And then a search for him or his body by the Jewish community, supplementing official ...
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Have electric cars been suggested for those who respond to emergencies on Shabbos?
In a nutshell – and I know this is complicated – the Mishna says that some rabbinic prohibitions were lifted to make life easier on emergency responders after they've provided their assistance on ...
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What determines whether things which are forbidden because of a danger are still prohibited once we know there's no danger?
There are certain things which are prohibited because of danger, many of which are listed here. A good number of them are confirmed by modern science to not cause any (physical) harm (ex. meat and ...
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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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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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Venishmartem Halachic guidelines regarding large gathering of Jews
Following the horrible tragedy at Miron, where 45 Jews lost their lives in a stampede,
I wondered that large-scale religious gatherings are very indeed very frequent, especially in Hassidic ...
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Is grinder biohacking permissible?
Grinder biohacking involves implanting DIY cybernetics or chemicals into one’s own body which ostensibly give one superhuman abilities. For example, some companies sell implantable NFC/RFID chips to ...
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Source for preferring doing melacha which benefits sick person exclusively
I recently heard the following halacha from a talmid Chacham. He said "I remember that this is the halacha, but I do not remember the source".
If one has to do a melacha on shabbos for a choleh ...
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Why isn't walking through a metal detector allowed on Shabbat because of pikuach nefesh?
I saw a few weeks ago that there are no security checks at the Kotel for religiously dressed Jews on Shabbat. This is to avoid having to walk through a metal detector, apparently.
My question is, why ...
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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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Two people but only one kidney
if there are two patients about to die of kidney failure and there is only one kidney available, does the halacha have a way to choose who gets the kidney? (such as lottery)
(assuming both cases are ...
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Earning money on Shabbat for permitted behavior?
If somebody gets a Heter from a rabbi or posek to do something on Shabbat that is normally forbidden for pikuach nefesh (such as being a police officer, firefighter, etc.) are they allowed to earn ...
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Why is Tzaara'as considered a Sakana?
The Shulchan Aruch in Orach Chaim 173:2 writes:
בין בשר לדגים חובה ליטול משום דקשה לדבר אחר וחמירא סכנתא מאיסורא
There is an obligation to wash one's hands between fish and meat because it causes &...
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Are you liable for infecting others?
The Talmud says:
One who injures another becomes liable for five things: damages, pain, medical expenses, incapacitation, and mental anguish. [Bava Kamma 83b]
It does not spell out HOW or WHY the ...
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Is v'chai bahem a mitzvah?
The passuk says one should "do the mitzvos to live by them" (Vayikra 18:5), from which the Gemara (Sanhedrin 74a) learns that one, in general, must violate the mitzvos rather than die.
Is this a ...
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Mitzva of Tzedaka for Pikuach Nefesh
Let's say one has a relative/parent who needs a life saving operation but does not have the financial means to pay for it or even get a loan, is one required to sell his property to help them?
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Why did שמואל הנביא need permission to save his own life?
In יבמות ס״ה,ב׳ it brings the story of when Hashem told שמואל הנביא to go and anoint דויד, and שמואל asked Hashem what he should do in order not to arouse Shaul’s suspicion, thereby endangering his ...
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How can heart transplants be permitted?
Are there authorities who hold that a stopped heart constitutes halachic death, but yet permit heart transplants? Stopping and taking out the recipient's heart would seem to be technically considered ...
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What is the criteria of safek pikuach nefesh?
An expert in a particular field (a doctor, an actuary, etc.) can advise on the risk of mortality from a specific activity of anywhere between 0% and 100%. At what threshold of risk would the halacha ...
user17319
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Timing of pikuach nefesh
What is the halacha on how imminent the danger of death has to be for you to be allowed to invoke pikuach nefesh and break a commandment to save a life?
Obviously if someone is drowning before your ...
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May a E.R. responder or on-call cop be a Shat"z?
Is a shul allowed to ask an on-call cop or E.R. worker, etc. to be a shat"z (shaliach tzibbur) if there is a fairly high likelihood that may be asked to leave on an emergency in the middle of davening?...
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Is the base for bloodletting in the Talmud purely "scientific" or traditional?
Bloodletting (הקזת דם) was a commonplace medical procedure in the Mishnaic times (see Shabbos 129).
It is widely accepted that the ancient healers believed that:
"... many diseases were caused by ...
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Getting a shot on Shabbat to prepare one to save a life after Shabbat
Related
Can we violate Shabbos to inject a vaccine?
This is not a current situation, but reflects a real set of circumstances that does actually happen.
Assuming (as the linked question does) that ...
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Setting the bar for life threatening situations (VeNishmartem)?
The Halachah says (Rambam Rotzeach-uShmirat-Nefesh 11,5, read on to ch.13, interestingly haMechaber omitted those Halochos):
"הרבה דברים אסרו חכמים מפני שיש בהם סכנת נפשות.:"
"Our ...
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Are there sources that permit or prohibit co-ed learning of self-defense?
Learning self-defense in a co-ed environment could be considered prevention of problems that could lead to pikuach nefesh (danger to life). Prohibiting a co-ed environment could be considered placing ...
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Saving a non-Jew from drowning
Some Boston-area yeshivah students recently saved a man from drowning who they didn't know was a Nazi supporter. In a comment on the story, someone claimed that the Halakhah (i.e. Jewish law) says to ...
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Would cryogenic freezing while still alive be permissible?
As answered here and here, halachic death is defined as an irreversible heart [and/or respiration, and/or brain] cessation.
If so, would cryogenically freezing someone while they're still alive1 be ...
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Is there a price too high to pay to prevent secularization in COVID times?
I realize that the closure of Yeshivos has a huge negative impact on Haredi Bachurim, many of my friends complain that since the boys came home, they went "out-of-sync", don't wake up to ...
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What are the time parameters of "pikuach nefesh" on Shabbos?
This article says:
Any procedure which is necessary to perform for the patient, but it is clear that it does not at all need to be performed on Shabbat, should be delayed until after Shabbat.
How ...
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Is one allowed to endanger his life for learning Torah like Hillel did?
The famous story about Hillel's devotion to Torah learning, in Yoma 25b, tells that Hillel endangered his life by trying to listen to Shmayah and Avtalyon in extremely cold weather until he fell ...
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If Mordechai knew he would endanger the whole nation would he bow to Haman?
If I understand the plot correctly, the story of Haman's hatred to Mordechai and the whole Jewish people started with Mordechai disobeying the king's laws.
First, did Mordechai (as a prophet) know he ...
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Fast days for a person with an eating disorder
Does anyone know of a posek who has written about people with eating disorders (I know there are many types of eating disorders) or people who have recovered from an eating disorder regarding whether ...
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Turn yourself in for a capital offense?
This question assumes that one should accept his punishment after being convicted of a capital offense.
Should one turn himself in to (Jewish) authorities after committing an offense for which he ...
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Is it true that abortion is allowed if it endangers the mother's mental health?
I heard this and it makes no sense because then almost every mother would have the excuse to abort; What would the exact parameters of such mental health issues be?
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Can one volunteer to be put in a situation which will require breaking shabbos?
I know that pikuach nefesh, saving a life, can push off Shabbat (which I understand to mean, can excuse breaking rules on Shabbat). If I am one of a group of Jews who could do the life saving, should ...
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What is the difference between a sickness and a plague?
Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim, Siman 576) discusses fasting and praying for Dever (a plague), and also for a sickness (choli). What is the difference between sickness and plague?
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Can you attempt to rescue someone if you're outgunned?
Principle : Yehareg velo yaavor for murder - you can't kill a person to save your life.
Reason : We don't know whose life is more important ('whose blood is redder').
Implication: You can't kill ...
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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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How should a Jew behave if kidnapped by a non-Jew?
If a Jew is kidnapped by a non-Jew that he suspects may kill him, according to halacha how should he act? Meaning, should he try to escape or not?
user6641