Pikuach Nefesh
/piˈku.aχ ˈne.feʃ/noun
A Jewish legal principle that preserving human life takes precedence over almost all religious commandments.
Did you know?In the Talmud, pikuach nefesh overrides nearly all commandments, with traditionally recognized exceptions including murder, idolatry, and certain forbidden sexual acts.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
פיקוח נפש (pikkuaḥ nefesh)
“The safeguarding or supervision of a person’s life”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
פקח (p-k-ḥ)
“To open the eyes, be watchful, or supervise”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
נפש (nefeš)
“A living being, person, life, or breath”
Late Antiquity
Rabbinic Hebrew
פיקוח נפש
“The legal preservation of human life as a decisive principle in Jewish law”
Talmudic Period
Aramaic/Hebrew
פיקוח נפש דוחה שבת
“Preservation of life overrides the Sabbath”
Modern English
English
pikuach nefesh
“The Jewish principle that saving life takes precedence over almost all religious commandments”