DEUT69 Self-protection and survival are basic instincts and needs for every species. It is certainly part of human nature as well. But this idea is also one of the 613 commandments in the Torah. The Torah commands a Jew to protect himself or herself [this verse] and repeats this warning a few verses later [Deuteronomy 4:16]. Specifically, when it comes to saving oneself from danger, the Talmud is very sensitive to this requirement, as it states that the possibility of danger sometimes supersedes observing Jewish law (Chulin 10a).