Quality and sanctity of life in the Talmud and the Midrash.

The talmudic maxim "to save one life is tantamount to saving a whole world" (Sanhedrin 37a) indicates that the value of human life is infinite. A fraction of infinity is stil infinity. Nothing in this world is of higher value or greater ethical import than human life. Even Torah commandments of the Holy One, blessed be He, must give way to the higher value of preserving human life. The biblical verse "You shall study and observe my laws and live thereby" (Lev. 18:5) is interpreted in the Talmud (Yama 8Sb) to mean that the saving of a life takes precedence over Sabbath observance. By inference, all other Torah laws must also be suspended to save a life since none are more important than the Sabbath laws. One exception exists to this absolute "vote for life." Rav Yohanan (Sanhedrin 84a) taught that the rabbinic consensus is that if someone's life is in danger, he should transgress all Torah laws to save his life. If, however, to save his life, he must transgress the laws of murder, idolatry or forbidden sexual relations such as adultery, he must rather forfeit his life. Maimonides explains that these three exceptions to the rule of "transgress and do not die" exist because of the duty to sanctify God's name: