Rabbi Eliezer asked, “The Torah states ‘with all your life’, so why does it also state ‘with all your money’, and since it states ‘with all your money’ why does it state ‘with all your life’?”

This is the beginning of a beraita on our daf that is based on a verse in the first paragraph of the “Shema Yisrael” prayer. Rabbi Eliezers concludes the beraita with the answer to the question that he posed. He teaches that a person must be prepared to give up even what is most important to him to show his love of G-d. If his life is more important than his wealth, he must be prepared to sacrifice his life. And if his wealth is more important than his life, he must be prepared to sacrifice his wealth.

• Pesachim 25a

Rava said, “Who says that your blood is redder than his? Perhaps his blood is redder than yours!”

This is the response that Rava gave to a person who came to him with a serious dilemma. The person was given the choice to kill another person or else he would be killed. Rava told him it is forbidden to save one’s life by taking another’s, based on the above logic.

• Pesachim 25b

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