Study Yoma folio 82B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
ורוצח גופיה מנא לן? סברא היא: דההוא דאתא לקמיה (דרבא), אמר ליה, אמר לי מרי דוראי: קטליה לפלניא, ואי לא — קטילנא לך. אמר ליה: נקטלך ולא תקטול. מאי חזית דדמא דידך סומק טפי? דילמא דמא דההוא גברא סומק טפי!
The Talmud asks: And with regard to the murderer himself, from where do we derive this halakha that he should be killed rather than transgress the prohibition against murder? The Talmud answers: It is derived through reason, as it was told: A certain person came before Rava. He said to Rava: The master of the village where I live said to me: Kill so-and-so, and if you do not do so, I will kill you. What should I do? Rava said to him: Let yourself be killed, and you should not kill. Rava reasoned: What did you see to make you think that your blood is redder and more important than his? Perhaps the blood of that man is redder, and he is more important than you. If so, it is logical that one must not kill another person to save himself.
ההיא עוברה דארחא, אתו לקמיה דרבי, אמר להו: זילו לחושו לה דיומא דכיפורי הוא. לחושו לה ואילחישא. קרי עליה: ״בטרם אצרך בבטן ידעתיך וגו׳״. נפק מינה רבי יוחנן.
§ With respect to a pregnant woman who smells food, it is told: A certain pregnant woman smelled a food and craved it. Those involved came before R' Yehuda HaNasi to ask how to proceed. He said to those who were inquiring: Go and whisper to her that today is Yom Kippur. They whispered to her, and this whispering helped; she stopped craving the food. R' Yehuda HaNasi read this verse about the baby she was carrying: “Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you” (Jeremiah 1:5), and indeed, the baby who came out of that woman was R' Yoḥanan.