In Parshas Acharei Mos, we are commanded to guard Hashem's decrees and laws, וחי בהם – and live through them. From the Torah's emphasis on observing the commandments and living, the Gemara (Sanhedrin 74a) infers that mitzvos were given to us in order to live, not to die. Accordingly, if performing one of the mitzvos could potentially endanger a person's life, the principle of pikuach nefesh [saving a life] dictates that he disregard it, except for sins that involve murder, idolatry, or forbidden relationships.
A cursory reading of this halachah seems to imply that the Torah is telling us that, with three exceptions, human life is more valuable than mitzvah observance, so if we are ever in a situation where we must choose between staying alive and keeping Shabbos, life is more important. Rav Moshe Feinstein writes that this understanding is incorrect.
Although the Targum Onkelos is generally written as a literal translation of the Torah into Aramaic, he uncharacteristically renders the words וחי בהם, “and live through the mitzvos in the World to Come.” Onkelos teaches us that the Torah does not instruct us to disregard its laws in order to stay alive because life for its own sake is inherently more important than mitzvos. Rather, it is telling us that mitzvos are what makes life valuable, since they bring us to Olam Haba [the World to Come]. For example, by doing work on Shabbos that is necessary to preserve life, we gain the opportunity to observe many more Shabbosim in the future, which is what makes life precious and worth saving even at the short-term expense of Shabbos.
Rav Yissocher Frand adds that this insight gives us a completely different perspective on the meaning of life. A life without purpose is not intrinsically significant. Going to work, doing errands, and watching ball games do not make life worth living. The Torah’s view is that the critical component that makes life meaningful and valuable is using our time in this world to do mitzvos to reach the ultimate life in the World to Come. (R’ Ozer Alport)
