For the source text click/tap here: Sanhedrin 74
To download, click/tap here: PDF
According to Rabbi Yoḥanan quoting Rabbi Shimon ben Yehotzadak there are only three mitzvot that are so severe that a person should give up his life rather than perform the forbidden acts. Those mitzvot are:
avoda zara (idol worship)
gilui arayot (forbidden sexual relations)
shefikhut damim (murder)
The Gemara presents Biblical passages as the source for this rule regarding Avoda Zara and Gilui Arayot. When it comes to Shefikhut Damim the Gemara argues that no proof-text is necessary, as it is a sevara – a logical argument – that murder cannot be permitted to save a life.
We explore different authors on self-sacrifice and just war theory.