Eating non-kosher to save one's life

Hi,

"Rabbi Abba bar Zamina did tailoring work for a Roman. The Roman brought him a piece of non-kosher meat, and said, 'Eat!' He replied, 'I will not eat.'

"The Roman said, 'Eat; if not, I will kill you!' He replied, 'If you wish to kill me, kill me, for I will not eat the non-kosher meat.'

"The Roman said, 'How did you know that if you would have eaten, I would have killed you? One must either be a Jew, or a Roman!'

"Rabbi Mana said: Had Rabbi Abba bar Zamina heard the words of the sages [that one should eat non-kosher in order to save his life, if it is not a public situation], then he would have eaten."

(Talmud Yerushalmi, Sheviit 4:2)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

The value of life

Hi,

"Life achieves its potential value only to the extent that it is godly."

החיים שוים הם את ערכם רק באותה מדה שהם אלוקיים

(Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, Introduction to Shabbat ha'Aretz)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The value of life

Hi,

"There is no such thing as a scale on which to measure the value of  life, or its significance."

(R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Minchat Shlomo 91:24)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

The value of a moment of human life

Hi,

"If one would reduce the value of human life because its end was nearing, human life in general would lose its absolute value and gain relative value - relative to the expectations of one's life, one's health, one's benefit to society, or some other arbitrary measure."

(Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovitz, HaRefuah v'haYahadut pg. 152)

Have a great day,
Mordechai