What job would you do for free?

As much as I spew total bullshit on the daily on some virtual blog which I happen to write….

Y’all would have no idea that I have been working for free since receiving my certification as a Life Coach in 2020.

The whole situation is really ironic, tbh.

Just as my life was in the process of lighting a proverbial dumpster fire, I was disassociated into ignoring all the bad in my life and focusing on how to help myself by helping others.

I do not accept monetary payments for my services. In fact, I enjoy that my friends feel comfortable enough to call and heed my companionship when navigating difficult things.

The one thing I will always pride myself on is that nothing in my life I have done purely for profit. Why?

I was born with a passion for Pikuach Nefesh.

One of the most basic principles in Jewish law is that human life comes first. Almost any religious commandment can be broken in order to save the life of a human being.  

While the Torah goes to great lengths to tell us how important some of the commandments are, the start of the Torah foreshadows that saving human life will be more important: “And G-d created man in His image, in the image of G-d He created him.” (Genesis 1:27) Clearly, the life of a human being is special and unique, and as would become clear later in the Torah, demands preservation beyond anything else.

This idea, known as pikuach nefesh, is derived from two main sources. One, preferred by the 12th century scholar Maimonides, is the verse in Leviticus 18:5: “You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which man shall live.” The talmudic sage Rabbi Akiva comments that the verse says “by the pursuit of which man shall live” — not “shall die.” Built into every mitzvah – with some exceptions – is the precedence of human life. Keep the Sabbath — but if you have to violate its laws to perform life-saving surgery or get someone to the hospital, do it.

The second source, preferred by the 13th century sage Nahmanides, is also from Leviticus: “the stranger and the citizen shall live with you.” According to the Talmud, this verse tells us that we have a positive commandment to preserve life, even if it means violating other ritual or ethical commandments. As opposed to being a built-in exception to every commandment, this source tells us that saving lives is a positive commandment on its own.

This community-minded understanding of pikuach nefesh teaches us that not only are we to celebrate mitzvot as affirming of our creation in the image of G-d, but also as vehicles to affirm that others are created in the image of G-d as well. Our tradition aims to create a society which celebrates the creation of all of humanity. Nahmanides’ interpretation ask us: Are we creating a society on the principles of pikuach nefesh, where everyone is looking out for the life, safety and well-being of the “stranger and the citizen” around us?

Of course, nothing in Judaism is so simple – nor should it be. So there are exceptions to pikuach nefesh. The Talmud tells us that a person cannot kill another person to save their own life. Adultery and idolatry are also excluded; according to most authorities, a person must give up their life rather than violating these prohibitions. The Talmud also tells us that if the violation would be public — and especially if it’s a time when the ruling authorities are seeking to get Jews to violate the Torah’s commandments — you must give up your life rather than commit even the smallest infraction.

There is one other important exception to saving life as declared by Rabbi Akiva: If the choice is between saving your own life or someone else’s, save your own first. If you are in the desert and have only one bottle of water, and you need it all to survive, drink the water — even if it means your friend gets stuck without any water and dies.

In the late Middle Ages, Rabbi Menachem Meiri said that while the Talmud seemed to exclude many non-Jews from the laws of pikuach nefesh, had it known of the civilized societies of Meiri’s era (and ours), it would have been more explicit that everyone living in civilized society, Jew or non-Jew, is covered by the law of pikuach nefesh. Their lives must be saved, even if that meant violating almost all of the central commandments of Judaism.

Happy Friday. May the Sabbath bring peace and rest. Annie Out!!!