Q&A: Territorial Considerations
Territorial Considerations
Question
I saw in your book the argument about territorial considerations and its practical implication regarding self-sacrifice.
According to that, I didn’t understand why the prohibition of murder is one of the three most severe prohibitions. After all, it also stems from the right to life, and if so, on the basis of territorial considerations it should be forbidden to murder in order not to be killed.
Answer
It seems to me that I explained there that in the prohibition of murder there are both aspects: both territory and the severity of the prohibition. Something similar I wrote in my article "What Is Guilt" regarding the prohibition of a married woman, where betrothal does not take effect with her both because of the territorial consideration (Pnei Yehoshua) and because of the severity of the prohibition (as is commonly accepted).