LEV1036 The Talmud presents the following hypothetical case: "Two man are traveling together [in the desert], and one has a pitcher of water. If they share the water, both will die, but if any one drinks, he can reach civilization [and survive]. Ben Petura taught, 'It is better that both should drink and die, rather than one of them look on while his comrade dies.' But Rabbi Akiva came and taught, [the verse in the Torah] 'that your brother may live with you' [this verse] means [only if you both can survive must you share the water, but in case of conflict] your life takes precedence over his]" (Bava Mezia 62a). While the Talmud never formally rules as to which of these two opinions is binding, Rabbi Akiva's preeminence in Jewish law and thought has guaranteed that his view has been widely accepted by Jewish scholars. Akiva's insistence that we are not obligated to sacrifice our life in an attempt to save someone else seems compelling for two reasons: ∙ Jewish law could not legislate that A be required to give water to B, for if that were the case, then B would be required to give the water back to A, and on and on, until two emaciated bodies would be discovered in the desert alongside a bottle of water. ∙ Akiva's explanation that "your life takes precedence" also makes intuitive sense. Otherwise, the biblical and rabbinic ethic would presume that your responsibility to your neighbor is greater than to yourself, and that your neighbor's obligation to you is greater than to himself.