Pikuach nefesh

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In Judaism, pikuach nefesh (Hebrew: פיקוח נפש) is the obligation to save a life in jeopardy. Pikuach nefesh supersecedes virtually all Jewish law, including Shabbat. For example, a Jewish doctor may work on Shabbat in the case that patients may die if he would not. The concept of pikuach nefesh derives from the Torah^[1], and is mentioned many times in the Talmud. "If one has pain in his throat, he may pour medicine into his mouth on Shabbat, because it is a possibility of danger to human life and every danger to human life suspends the laws of Shabbat."^{[citation needed]}

Pikuach nefesh has limitations. One is a requirement that the individual whose life is to be saved must be a specific, identifiable individual, rather than an abstract or potential. For example, in the context of organ donation, pikuach nefesh overrides a prohibition against desecrating a corpse, but a specific organ recipient must generally be identified before the organ is removed. Organ removal to bank organs for possible future is generally prohibited in Orthodox Judaism^[2].

In Jewish law, this obligation supersedes all but the three most grievous offenses: murder, idolatry, and forbidden sexual unions, all of which a Jew is obligated to avoid transgressing even at the cost of his life.