[Avodah] Inifinite Value of Human Life

[Mordechai Torczyner via Avodah]

[Transliterations mine. -micha]

Shalom aleichem R' Micha,

Writing briefly, for issues which defy brevity:

On Fri, Jan 15, 2016 at 6:17 AM, Micha Berger <micha at aishdas.org> wrote:
> RMT, I was listening to some year-old *shiurim* of yours on medical
> ethics. I do not recall which ones, but to more than one audience, when you
> discussed saving *chayei sha'ah* on Shabbos, I believe it was *besheim*
> R' Henkin that you said that human life has infinite value. And therefore
> there is no less reason for *chilul Shabbos* for *chayei sha'ah* than for
> *chayei olam*.

1. I probably cited the statement that human life is of infinite value from
Lord Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits (HaRefuah v'haYahadut pg. 152). Rav Shlomo
Zalman Auerbach says something similar but meaningfully different in
Minchat Shlomo 1:91:24, when he says we have no ability to measure the
value of life, however brief.

> So there's the more classical question: But *piquach nefesh docheh
> Shabbos* is not framed in terms of the value of life being greater than
> that of Shabbos, but because *chalal alav Shabbos achas*... Which is why
> we then get into discussing *mishum eivah* for a non-Jew or a *machalel
> Shabbos*.

> In terms of implied values, it would seem shemiras Shabbos and bringing
> harmony to the world (to phrase *mishum eivah* in positive terms) would
> each be of higher value than life.
...

2. While [chalal Shabbos achas] is quoted as a halachic principle in certain
situations, I believe it is not the argument accepted in Yoma 85a-b as
justification for breaking Shabbos. Rather, the argument of [vechai bahem
- velo shayamus bahem] is the winning argument.

> Now for the less classical question: You then go on to discuss triage
> considerations, and *chayei olam* get precedence over *chayei sha'ah*.
> But that would require finding one infinity of greater value than another!
> Is is that the value of human life is renormalizable?
...
> Or do we mean *lav davqa *infinity, just "very very large"?
...

3. Re: The apparent contradiction between the infinite value of Lord Rabbi
Jakobovits, and the halachic principle of prioritizing longer life (as seen
in Mishneh Berurah 334:68), it seems to me that "infinite" is homiletic,
intended to convey the message that each unit of life is of immeasurable
value. As a halachic formulation, I prefer the statement of Rav Shlomo
Zalman, cited above.

Kol tuv,
Mordechai

-- 
Mordechai Torczyner
YU Torah MiTzion Beit Midrash Zichron Dov (www.torontotorah.com)
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