 This principle is known as "ya'avor v'al ye'hareg" (, "transgress and do not be killed") and it applies to virtually all of Jewish ritual law, including the best known laws of "Shabbat" and "kashrut", and even to the severest prohibitions, such as those relating to circumcision, "chametz" on Passover, and fasting on "Yom Kippur".Thus, the Torah generally asserts that "pikuach nefesh" (פיקוח נפש, "the preservation of human life") is paramount, and in most situations even the preservation of a limb is equated with the basic principle.This stems in part from the biblical injunction that the Judaic laws are given "that you shall live by them", a commandment traditionally interpreted as meaning "...and not die by them" - human life is generally considered more significant than keeping religious precepts at the risk of life (or in some cases risk of serious harm); however, three areas of prohibition may not be trespassed under any circumstances, even to save a human life