LEV1067 Rabbi Akiba's interpretation of Leviticus 25:36 is based on a clever sequential reading of the literal Hebrew text. In Hebrew the text reads: V'hai > aheecha > eemach. The first Hebrew word V'hai, means according to R. Akiba: "(your) life." Since the word "(your) life" appears (in the Hebrew order of words) before the Hebrew word > aheecha, "your brother," Rabbi Akiba used this Hebrew sentence structure to indicate that "your life takes first precedence over the life of your brother." More important, however, is the general principle which it presents. It is not an obligation in Jewish ethics to give one's life for another. So, for example, in BT Pesachim 25b concerning a man who came before Raba with the following dilemma: "The governor of my town has ordered me: 'Go and kill so-and-so; and if not I will kill you.' Raba replied: 'Let him kill you rather than that you should commit murder; what reason do you see for thinking that your blood is redder? Perhaps his blood is redder." Rashi explains that according to Judaism it is permitted to sin in order to save another's life, but not to murder. The principle is that there is no criterion for evaluating the "utility" or worth of one individual or another. Jewish ethics does not evaluate the "utility" of the individual and since one life will be lost in any case, two evils cannot be allowed to be perpetrated; i.e., the loss of a human life and the use of a Good person to carry out the first Evil. Clearly, the ultimate triumph of Good over Evil is the struggle which Judaism is concerned with. Only in the defying of Evil can Good be served; even at the expense of human life.

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LEV1065 … the positive commands which reflect my obligations to my neighbor, "… and that the brother may live with thee," implying that I must do all to make it practically possible for my brother to live, reach all the way to "Love thy neighbor as thyself" [this verse; Ketubbot 17a]. Here too the range is from the level of deeds to the depth of the inner man; your feelings and his psychological needs.

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LEV1066 It was taught: If two men are walking along the road and one has a jug of water: if they both drink, they will both die [there not being enough to keep both alive]; if one drinks, he will reach the settlement. [What is the halachah?] R. Akiva expounded: "And your brother shall live with you"--your life comes before that of your neighbor (Bava Metzia 62a)

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LEV1071 The Torah commands that the needy of his household come first, then the poor of his city, and they, in turn, have priority over the poor of another city... Rabbi Saadia (882-942) wrote that a person is required to put his own sustenance first, and is not duty bound to give charity to others until after providing for his own. The Torah says, “And your brother shall live with you,” (Leviticus 25:36), a verse that clearly establishes that your life comes first and only then the other person’s [following the Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzi’a 62a]. Jacob ben Asher (13th-14th century, Spain), Arba Turim, Yoreh De’ah, Chapter 251.

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LEV1069 ... the extent of a person's need would be another factor that the community must take into account, but there was a strong sense that the community must first help its own. What results is concentric circles of care and concern. “Anyone who gives money to his adult children, mature enough that the parent is no longer obliged to sustain them, in order that the adult males may study Torah and the females may live uprightly [and] so, too, anyone who gives gifts to his needy father and mother may consider these gifts a fulfillment of the duty to give charity. Indeed, he needs to give these relatives priority over others in his charity giving. He should give a similar priority to his relatives over all others. The Torah commands that the needy of his household come first, then the poor of his city, and they, in turn, have priority over the poor of another city... Rabbi Saadia (882-942) wrote that a person is required to put his own sustenance first, and is not duty bound to give charity to others until after providing for his own. The Torah says, “And your brother shall live with you” (Leviticus 25:36), a verse that clearly establishes that your life comes first and only then the other person [following the Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 62a]. Also remember what the widow of Tzarefat said to the Prophet Elijah [1 Kings 17:12]: “And I have done this for me and my son,” first for herself and afterward for her son, a comment he [Elijah] approved of since Elijah [first] said [v. 13], “Do it for yourself,” and [he said] “and for your son” only afterward. After one has seen to his own sustenance, he may then give priority to the sustenance of his needy parents over that of his adult children, and then he should see to the sustenance of his adult children (Jacob ben Asher (d. 1340), Arba’ah Turim, Yoreh De’ah, chapter 251).” (See also Sifrei on Deuteronomy 15:7; Mishneh Torah, Laws of Gifts to the Poor 7:13; Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De’ah 251:3.).

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LEV1070 (Continued from [[LEV247]] Leviticus 18:22 abomination DORFFWITO 134-5). The Talmud also includes a story that establishes the principle of one's primary responsibility to save one's own life. “Two people are traveling on a journey [far from civilization], and one has a pitcher of water. [They realize that] if both drink [from it], they will [both] die. But if only one drinks, he can reach civilization. Ben Petura taught: ‘It is better that both should drink and die rather that one should behold his companion’s death,’ until Rabbi Akiva came and taught: ‘that you brother may live with you]’ (Leviticus 25:35), [implying that] your life takes precedence over his life [for only if you are alive can your brother live with you]. Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 62a.” Based on this principle, the Shulchan Arukh, again following earlier sources, maintains that one must first seek to redeem oneself, then one’s teacher, and then one’s parent. The “teacher” referred to here is not one of many teachers that one has in one’s life but rather the one mentor with whom one lives and studies for all of one's learning after elementary education. As the Mishnah explains elsewhere regarding whose lost object one should search for first (Mishnah, Bava Metzia 2:11 [33a]), one’s teacher deserves to take precedence over one’s father “because one’s father brings one into this world, but one’s teacher brings one into the world to come.” However, in redeeming from captivity, one's mother takes precedence over both one’s father and one’s teacher because of the risk of rape noted above.

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LEV1072 See [[EXOD662]] Exodus 21:26 slave MEIR 17-20

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LEV1073 See [[LEV1062]] Leviticus 25:36 interest OXFORD 46

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LEV1074 It is a negative commandment to lend nothing to a member of Jewry at interest, be it money or something to eat or anything else for Scripture says, You shall not give him your money at interest, nor give him your provisions of food in usury [this verse]. The terms neshech ("interest") and marbith ("usury") are one thing; but Scripture divided it into two terms to make [the lender] the transgressor of two prohibitions. The lender also violates the prohibition, neither shall you put interest upon him (Sh'moth 22:24), as well as the injunction, Do not take interest or increase from him [this verse].

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LEV1075 It is clear that, when halakhically indicated, a patient is not only obligated to seek medical care but may be compelled to do so. See sources cited in [ROSNER-BLEICH, p. 43, n. 100, df. Ibid. p. 42, n. 97]. Since the obligation of rescue is phrased as a prohibition against standing idly by "the blood of your fellow," the source of an obligation to save one's own life is somewhat elusive. It is, of course, an uncontested halakhic principle that "A person is his own relative" (adam karov ezel azmo). See Sanhedrin 9b and 25a, Ketubbot 18b, and Yevamot 25b. By the same token, it may be argued that a person is his own " fellow" and thus owes himself the selfsame duties [lengthy source list omitted]. Note should be taken of the fact that the Gemara, Bava Mezi'a 62a, cites the verse "and your brother shall live with you" (Leviticus 25:38) in establishing that preservation of one's own life must be given preference over the rescue of another. An obligation to preserve one's own life may readily be inferred from that definition. Also, Rambam, Hilkhot Roze'ah 11;4, cites the verse "take heed of yourself and safeguard yourself" (Deuteronomy 4:9) as establishing an obligation "to be watchful" with regard to any matter that poses a danger, as well as the negative commandment "and you shall not bring blood upon your house" (Deuteronomy 22:8) as establishing an obligation to remove a source of danger. See also Hilkhot Roze'ah 11:5. The latter verses serve to establish a positive command, whereas "nor shall you stand idly by the blood of your fellow" establishes a more stringent negative prohibition for failure to seek life-saving interventions. Afikei Yam, II, no. 40, s.v. ve-haya, suggests that failure to preserve one's own life may be halakhically equivalent to suicide. Pesika Rabbati, chap. 24, advances an exegetical rendition of lo tirzah (Exodus 20:13) as lo titrazah in establishing that felo-de-se is encompassed in the prohibition against murder [lengthy list of additional sources omitted]. Rambam, Hilkhot Roze'ah 2:3, declares suicide to be prohibited on the basis of the verse "But your blood of your lives I will require" (Genesis 9:5) ...

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