pikuach nefesh

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Pronunciations

Pikuach Nefesh (pee-KOO-ach NEH-fesh) listen

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Definitions

  • n. The principle that the law of saving a person's life takes precedence over all other laws, with the exception of the laws prohibiting idolatry, incestuous relations, and the murder of an innocent person.

  • n. The saving of a life.

Example Sentences

  • "Organ donation in Jewish law is one classic example of the obligation to violate a commandment because of pikuach nefesh." (source)

  • "For example, a sick person or a pregnant woman is obligated to eat on Yom Kippur when others fast because of pikuach nefesh. An Orthodox Jew might drive his car on Shabbat if he needs to get his sick child to the hospital." (JPS)

  • "Get this man to the hospital right away—it's pikuach nefesh!" (Glinert)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • פיקוח נפש 'saving a soul'

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America
      • Australia / New Zealand
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).

      Alternative Spellings

      pikuah nefesh, pikkuach nefesh, pikkuah nefesh, pikuach neyfesh, pikkuach neyfesh, pikuah neyfesh, pikkuah neyfesh

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