1. It is well known that saving a life overrides Shabbat, since the Torah says about the mitzvot “וָחַי בָּהֶם” — v’chai bahem, “and you shall live by them,” teaching that we override mitzvot, including Shabbat, in order to save a life (Tractate Yoma 85a).

2. One does not need to ask a rabbi for permission to violate Shabbat by performing an act that is certainly necessary to save the life of a person who is in danger. Even if one is unsure whether a particular act is normally permitted on Shabbat and it is not practical to receive halachic guidance at that time, one should err on the side of caution for life and violate Shabbat (Ibid.).

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Dedicated by Fran Broder as a zechus for everlasting peace in Eretz Yisrael in the merit of learning Hilchos Shabbos.