What does Jewish law have to say about risking one’s life?
Thank you for your question. It isn’t clear whether you are referring to individuals taking risks privately, or to save the lives of others. Without a doubt, Jewish law forbids a person from taking unnecessary risks that endanger the person. This is based on the verse of “And you shall surely care for your lives”. This is echoed throughout the Torah and the Talmud.
This does not mean that no risks at all may be taken, such as crossing the street. Common sense must be used to determine what risks may be reasonably taken, and which shouldn’t be. This is often relative to the generation and the society. For example, 30 years ago smoking would not have been considered an unreasonable risk and was ruled permitted by one of the leading authorities on Jewish law. Today, we have become more aware of the harmful effects of smoking, and it would be forbidden by Jewish law to start smoking.
Regarding risking your life to save another’s, we must realize that saving another person’s life is a great Mitzvah. Additionally, a person may not actively kill someone else to save his own life. However, he is not obligated to put himself in grave danger if there is a possibility that by doing so he will save someone else’s life. What exactly constitutes “grave danger” is something that must be determined by common sense. Generally speaking, if it is an activity where a significant percentage of people lose their lives doing it, it would qualify. This does not mean that it isn’t praiseworthy for a person to take a chance in this situation, only that he has no obligation to risk his life in this situation.
Take care,
Rabbi Aaron Tendler