Pikuach nefesh
E79738
Pikuach nefesh is the Jewish legal and ethical principle that preserving human life overrides almost all other religious commandments.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Pikuach nefesh canonical | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Jewish legal principle
ⓘ
ethical principle in Judaism ⓘ halakhic principle ⓘ |
| appliesEvenTo | doubtful danger to life ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
both physical and immediate threats to life
ⓘ
human life ⓘ serious potential threats to life ⓘ |
| associatedConcept | sanctity of life in Judaism ⓘ |
| basedOnSource |
Talmud
ⓘ
Torah ⓘ |
| categoryIn |
Jewish ethics
ⓘ
surface form:
Jewish bioethics
|
| contrastsWith | strict ritual observance without regard to life ⓘ |
| coreIdea | preservation of human life overrides almost all other commandments ⓘ |
| ethicalDomain | Jewish ethics ⓘ |
| ethicalImplication |
duty to rescue those in life-threatening danger
ⓘ
obligation to protect one’s own life ⓘ obligation to seek medical treatment ⓘ |
| ethicalStatus | supreme value in Jewish moral reasoning ⓘ |
| exceptionToOverride |
idolatry
ⓘ
murder ⓘ sexual immorality ⓘ |
| guidesDecisionMakingIn |
emergency situations in Jewish law
ⓘ
medical ethics in Judaism ⓘ |
| halakhicStatus | obligation ⓘ |
| influences |
Jewish hospital policies
ⓘ
rabbinic rulings on health and safety ⓘ |
| justifies |
breaking dietary laws to prevent danger to life
ⓘ
eating on Yom Kippur to protect health ⓘ violation of Sabbath to save life ⓘ |
| languageOfTerm | Hebrew ⓘ |
| legalDomain | Jewish law ⓘ |
| literalMeaning | saving a life ⓘ |
| moralPriority | human life above ritual observance ⓘ |
| normativeIn |
Conservative Judaism
ⓘ
Orthodox Judaism ⓘ Reform Judaism ⓘ |
| normativeSourceType | halakhic obligation rather than mere permission ⓘ |
| overrides |
Sabbath prohibitions
ⓘ
fasting obligations ⓘ most ritual commandments ⓘ |
| primaryConcern | saving life over ritual consistency ⓘ |
| recognizedBy | rabbinic authorities across denominations ⓘ |
| relatedPrinciple |
rodef (pursuer) law
ⓘ
safek nefashot (doubt of danger to life) ⓘ |
| religiousTradition | Judaism ⓘ |
| valueHierarchy | one of the highest values in Jewish law ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.