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value . The book of Genesis , the Bible as a whole , and Judaism in toto incorporate not only the values that serve as the basis for culture , but also the cases in which these values are put to the test . The value of human life was violated by the first murder in history , that of Abel by his brother Cain ; the value of human dignity was violated when Noah’s son publicized his father’s shame , as Noah wallowed in drunkenness in his tent after the Flood ; the value of the family is put to various tests throughout the book of Genesis . The Bible is not na › ve or innocent ; or , in the formulation of the philosopher Emanuel Levinas , Judaism is “ a religion for adults . ” The Bible recognizes the existence of human needs and impulses that lead to failures to maintain these values and to guarantee rights for all . what is more , there is an essential difficulty here , which stems not from sin and evil but from the natural and inevitable confrontations between the values and rights themselves . Dealing with the contest between competing rights and values of individuals and human societies , requires the application of tools for rendering decisions in situations that are questionable . The characteristic instrument developed by the Oral Law for this purpose is Halakhah . Halakhah is supposed to provide the rulings when values collide . For example , the deliberations about the value of life include the dictum “ your life takes precedence over the life of your fellow , " which is to be applied when you have insufficient resources to keep both of you alive . They also include the principle of “ if someone comes to kill you , strike first , ” which is applied to situations in which protecting the life of someone who is threatening your life would endanger your own life . Beyond the general dicta , there are also the minute details of changing circumstances–questions of endangering oneself
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