BabylonianTalmud, Yoma 82a
תלמוד בבלי, יומא פב.
שאין לך דבר שעומד בפני פקוח נפש חוץ מעבודה זרה וגילוי עריות ושפיכות דמים.
Nothing stands before [the duty of] saving life except for idolatry, incest and murder. [AJWS translation]

Suggested Discussion Questions:

1. What is the core value this text puts forth?

2. In our contemporary context when human life is lost at an astonishing rate, how can we fulfill this fundamental directive without losing our own lives?

Time Period: Rabbinic (Maccabees through the Talmud)