DEUT1704 Since each minute of life has infinite value, ending a life a few minutes earlier than it would have ended naturally Is considered to be taking away infinite life and is murder. Thus, the man who helped King Saul to die (2 Samuel:9-10) is later condemned to death as a murderer (2 Samuel 1:13-16) since he ended Saul's life early. When Rabbi Chananya ben Tradyon was being burned alive by the Romans, his students begged him to open his mouth in order to die more quickly, but he refused because ending life early, even in torture and even though being murdered by someone else, is still forbidden as taking a life (Avodah Zarah 18a). Therefore, even if someone is dying and by ending his or her life, a person will relieve pain, it is prohibited in Judaism (Maimonides, Hilchot Rotze'ach 2:7). In addition to the reason that each moment of life has infinite value, there is another concept behind the prohibition for a human being to end life early. Determining the exact moment of death is an act that is not meant to be a human activity (for oneself or others). The Talmud (Pesachim 54b) says that the moment of death is something that is left up to God. The Torah itself implies this [this verse] when God says that He alone gives life and death. Therefore, we see that man can't "play God" and can't ever determine who and when a person will die.