[Avodah] Piquax Nefesh When Someone Endangers His Own Life

[jay via Avodah]

> .... He gave the example of someone in mortal danger who refuses to
> eat [on Yom Kippur] unless a minyan of Jews eats along with him.  In
> this situation the entire minyan is allowed to eat.

Allowed to eat, or required to eat?  And we are talking about eating
more than the shi`ur that triggers the issur kareth, yes?

Even if it is only "allowed", it is a problematic halakha.  If a man
refuses to eat, to the point where he is near death, unless a woman
has sexual relations with him -- and the doctors agree that he will
die unless she complies -- she is not allowed to have sexual relations
with him outside of marriage; she is not even required to speak to him
from behind a wall.  We say, Let him die.  How do we understand the
difference between these two rulings?  Eating on Yom Kipper is an
issur kareth; sexual intercourse outside of marriage, if the laws of
Nidda are observed, is at worst an issur lav, and, according to many
Rishonim, not even that.  Clearly, despite our talk about the infinite
value of human life, there are other considerations at work here.


                        Jay F. ("Yaakov") Shachter
                                jay at m5.chicago.il.us
                                http://m5.chicago.il.us

                        "Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur"