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Share(ב) וַתֵּ֥צֵא אֵ֛שׁ מִלִּפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה וַתֹּ֣אכַל אוֹתָ֑ם
...וַיִּדֹּ֖ם אַהֲרֹֽן׃
(2) And fire came forth from יהוה and consumed them...
And Aaron was silent.
creating it in the image of God—
creating them male and female.
לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָ֖͏ֽח...
You shall not murder...
שנים שהיו מהלכין בדרך וביד אחד מהן קיתון של מים אם שותין שניהם מתים ואם שותה אחד מהן מגיע לישוב דרש בן פטורא מוטב שישתו שניהם וימותו ואל יראה אחד מהם במיתתו של חבירו עד שבא ר' עקיבא ולימד וחי אחיך עמך חייך קודמים לחיי חבירך
If two people were walking on a desolate path and there was a jug [kiton] of water in the possession of one of them, and the situation was such that if both drink from the jug, both will die, as there is not enough water, but if only one of them drinks, he will reach a settled area, there is a dispute as to the halakha. Ben Petora taught: It is preferable that both of them drink and die, and let neither one of them see the death of the other. This was the accepted opinion until Rabbi Akiva came and taught that the verse states: “And your brother shall live with you,” indicating that your life takes precedence over the life of the other.
Therefore, Adam the first man was created alone, to teach you that with regard to anyone who destroys one soul from the Jewish people, i.e., kills one Jew, the verse ascribes him blame as if he destroyed an entire world, as Adam was one person, from whom the population of an entire world came forth. And conversely, anyone who sustains one soul from the Jewish people, the verse ascribes him credit as if he sustained an entire world.
(ו) בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים בְּשֶׁעָבַר וְעָשָׂה הֶעָוֹן שֶׁחַיָּב עָלָיו מִיתַת בֵּית דִּין. אֲבָל הָרוֹדֵף אַחַר חֲבֵרוֹ לְהָרְגוֹ אֲפִלּוּ הָיָה הָרוֹדֵף קָטָן הֲרֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל מְצֻוִּין לְהַצִּיל הַנִּרְדָּף מִיַּד הָרוֹדֵף וַאֲפִלּוּ בְּנַפְשׁוֹ שֶׁל רוֹדֵף:
Every Jew is commanded to save a person being pursued for his life, even if it means killing the pursuer, and [even if] the pursuer is a minor. Thus, if warning is issued and he continues to pursue, the pursuer can be killed even without his acknowledging the warning. But if the pursuer can be stopped by disabling part of his body, by striking him with an arrow, a stone, or a sword...then that should be done. And this is a negative commandment: not to have mercy on the life of a pursuer.
דְּאָמַר רִבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן שָׁלֹשׁ פרסטיגיות שָׁלַח יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד שֶׁלֹּא יִכָּֽנְסוֹ לָאָרֶץ מִי שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה לְהִפָּנוֹת יְפַנֶּה. לְהַשְׁלִים יַשְׁלִים. לַעֲשׂוֹת מִלְחָמָה יַעֲשֶׂה.
For Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman said, Joshua sent three orders to the Land of Israel before they entered the Land: Those who want to evacuate should evacuate, those who want to make peace should make peace, those who want to go to war should go to war.
(יט) כִּֽי־תָצ֣וּר אֶל־עִיר֩ יָמִ֨ים רַבִּ֜ים לְֽהִלָּחֵ֧ם עָלֶ֣יהָ לְתׇפְשָׂ֗הּ לֹֽא־תַשְׁחִ֤ית אֶת־עֵצָהּ֙ לִנְדֹּ֤חַ עָלָיו֙ גַּרְזֶ֔ן כִּ֚י מִמֶּ֣נּוּ תֹאכֵ֔ל וְאֹת֖וֹ לֹ֣א תִכְרֹ֑ת.
(19) When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down.
(ז) כשצרין על עיר לתפשה אין מקיפין אותה מארבע רוחותיה אלא משלש רוחותיה ומניחין מקום לבורח ולכל מי שירצה להמלט על נפשו
(7) When a city is sieged to be conquered, we do not surround the four sides of it , rather, only three, and a place is selected as a place where whoever wants to flee and save their lives can
Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, Ethics and War, Techumin 4, pg. 184-5
-J. Robert Oppenheimer
