when we say "giluy arayos" is assur and one should even give up his life and not transgress it, we mean if its with with one of the arayos listed in parashas acharei mos or a goya, but my question is would we still have to give up our life if we were asked to go with a jewish "pnuya" thats not nidda ..?
thank you in advance.!
Dan Israel, Montreal/Canada
The Gemara in Sanhedrin (75a) tells of the case of a man who was love-sick for a woman and, according to the doctors, he would die unless he was at least allowed to speak with her from across a partition. The Chachamim wouldn't allow it. According to one opinion there, the story involves a Penuyah.
The Rambam (Hilchos Yesodei haTorah 5:9) codifies this story in the Halachah and rules that even with a Penuyah it is forbidden. However, the issue in this story is whether one can be healed by way of something that is forbidden. It doesn't necessarily follow that the principle of Yehareg v'Al Ya'avor would apply to a Penuyah. In fact, it probably does not. The Gemara there says that the Chachamim forbid the sick man to speak with the woman "lest Jewish women be treated like Hefker". That rationale would not apply in a case of Mesiras Nefesh.
Kol Tuv,
Yonasan Sigler