click here to jump to start of article Join Our Newsletter  Join
400,000 Aish subscribers Get Email Updates  Sexual Immorality –
Giving Up One's Life   1) Idolatry - this would threaten the
very fabric of Judaism and therefore cannot be allowed.  2)
Murder - you cannot take one life to save another, because every
human being is infinitely valuable. In the words of the Talmud,
"who knows whose blood is redder?" (Though it is permitted to
take a life in self-defense.)  The one that is really puzzling
me is #3: Sexual immorality like incest and adultery. Why is
this so serious? I'm not suggesting it is a "good" thing, but if
sleeping with your brother or another man's wife would save a
life... why not?  The Aish Rabbi Replies:  Let's start with the
premise that a stable family structure is the primary foundation
of healthy society. Societies in which the family unit is
falling apart are societies in trouble.  What is the prime cause
of the breakdown of the family unit? Sexual promiscuity -- e.g.
adultery causes