Pikuach Nefesh & Sanctity of Life

Sanctity of life refers to the idea that life is sacred and holy because it’s God’s creation. For Jews that means only God has the right to take life away. So they shouldn’t do anything to speed up a person’s natural death like murder or euthanasia. It also means that Jews have the duty to save a person’s life even if you have to break Jewish law.

“breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” - Genesis 2:7

“He who destroys one soul of a human being, the Scripture considers him as if he should destroy a whole world” - Sanhedrin 4:5

Pikuach Nefesh = Saving a life

This is the obligation that Jew’s have to save a person’s life if they can. This emphasizes how valuable human life is, as it puts human life above Jewish law