Wikipedia's first sentence called it “principle in jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious considerati”. Today it says “principle in halakha”.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the October 6, 2023 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in October 6, 2023
Principle in Jewish law of prioritizing preserving human life Pikuach nefesh ( ) is the principle in Halakha (Jewish law) that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious rule of Judaism . In the event that a person is in critical danger, most mitzvot , including those from the Ten Commandments of the Torah , become inapplicable if they would hinder the ability to save oneself or someone else in such a situation.1 However, there are certain exceptions; some rules and commandments may not be broken under any circumstances and thus sanction an act of self-sacrifice .
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 1177330643.
The opening as it stood in 2010
Pikuach nefesh ( , "saving of human life") is the principle in Jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious consideration. When the life of a specific person is in danger, almost any negative commandment of the Torah becomes inapplicable.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 360607759.
The opening as it stood in 2015
In Judaism, Pikuach Nefesh ( Hebrew : פיקוח נפש) describes the principle in Jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious consideration.When the life of a specific person is in danger, almost any mitzvah lo ta'aseh (command to not do an action) of the Torah becomes inapplicable.George Robinson Essential Judaism: a complete guide to beliefs, customs and rituals 2001 p200"For example, as noted in Chapter 2, the principle of pikuakh nefesh, of saving a life , takes precedence over virtually all other mitzvot. ...Rather than commit any of these three offenses, a Jew is expected to give up his or her life."
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 667391913.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Principle in Jewish law Pikuach nefesh ( , , "saving a life") is the principle in Jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious rule. When the life of a specific person is in danger, almost any mitzvah lo ta'aseh (command to not do an action) of the Torah becomes inapplicable. George Robinson Essential Judaism: a complete guide to beliefs, customs and rituals 2001 p100 "For example, as noted in Chapter 2, the principle of pikuakh nefesh, of saving a life, takes precedence over virtually all other mitzvot.... Rather than commit any of these three offenses, a Jew is expected to give up his or her life."
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964899879.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Principle in Jewish law of prioritizing preserving human life Pikuach nefesh ( Hebrew : פיקוח נפש ), which means "saving a soul" or "saving a life," is the principle in Halakha (Jewish law) that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious rule of Judaism . In the event that a person is in critical danger, most mitzvot become inapplicable if they would hinder the ability to save oneself or someone else. However, there are certain exceptions; some rules and commandments may not be broken under any circumstances and thus may require an act of self-sacrifice .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1291165754. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “principle in jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious considerati”. Today it says “principle in halakha”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
principle in jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious considerati
Now
principle in halakha
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
