Not infrequently in the Torah, the people are enjoined to observe God’s commandments, often with a promise of reward. One verse, however, stands out for its profound influence on both Jewish behavior and belief throughout the ages:

“And you shall keep My statutes and My laws, which a person shall do and live through them. I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 18:5)

Ostensibly, the meaning of this verse is straightforward: the reward for observing God’s laws will be a good life, a theme that reverberates throughout the Torah’s presentation of divine legislation. In fact, variations of this very idea appear a number of times in Tanakh (see Ezekiel 20:11, 13, 21).

The rabbinic tradition of the Mishnaic period offers two contrasting interpretations of this verse, both of which have played major roles in shaping Jewish tradition. In the first, the interpretive emphasis falls on the latter part of the verse, defining for which commandments one must risk one’s life and for which one must not:

“Behold, the commandments were only given to Israel that they might live by them, as it is written, ‘Which a man shall perform and live by them’ – he shall live by them, and not die by them. Nothing takes precedence over saving a life, save idolatry, sexual sins, and murder. In which circumstances are these things said? When it is not a time of persecution. But when it is a time of persecution, even when it comes to the smallest of commandments, a person should die for it, as it is written: ‘Do not........

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