Brochas: Daf Lamed Beis amud beis and Lamed Gimmel amud aleph

  

The Rabbis taught, of an incident involving a particular Chossid (pious man) who was praying (while travelling) upon the road.  An officer came and greeted him. (He) did not respond with a greeting. (The officer) waited until he had finished his prayer.  After he finished, he said to him – you good for nothing; isn’t it written in your Torah “Take utmost care and guard yourself diligently” (Devorim 4:9). And it is also written “Therefore take good care of yourself” (Devorim 4:15).  When I greeted you, why did you not respond with a greeting?  Were I to sever your head with a sword, who would hold me accountable for your blood (i.e. death)?  

(The Chossid) said to him – wait for me until I appease you with my words.  He said to him – had you been standing before a flesh and blood king and your friend came and greeted you, would you return his greeting?  (The officer) said to him – no.  (The Chossid then asked) and were you to greet him, what would they do to you?  He replied – they would cut off my head.  

(The Chossid) said to him – then is this not a matter of a fortiori inference? You who stand before a human king who (you should fear in a strictly limited fashion) given that he is here (today) but tomorrow will be in the grave, (do you not recognise) that I, who stand before the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He, who lives and endures for eternity, (have I not) all the more so (acted appropriately.) The officer was immediately appeased and the pious an returned home in peace.

  

The Brysa is brought to illustrate the principle being discussed in the Gemara, that when Jewish king greets you while you are praying you should not interrupt your Tefilloh in order to respond.  However, when greeted by a non-Jewish authority who may pose a threat to your safety, you should interrupt your prayer in order to respond.  The Taz (Shulchan Orach - Orach Chaim 66) therefore asks why the Chossid put himself into danger by failing to respond, commenting in passing that he was certainly not entitled to rely upon a miracle. He answers that because the Officer offered a greeting and showed himself willing to wait, the Chossid was able to conclude that it was appropriate (because safe) to complete his prayer.

The Marhashal in his commentary Chochmas Shlomo (Shulchan Orach - Orach Chaim 104:1) uses this Brysa to engage in fascinating discourse on the subject of a Jew’s obligations in respect of giving up one’s life.  He posits that when the officer asked the Chossid the question – “Were I to sever your head with a sword, who would hold me accountable for your blood death?” he meant, “I would not even be accountable “b’yday Shomayim” (in Heaven) for my actions, because you have acted in such a foolish fashion.” The Marhashal takes as a given both that even if the Chossid was not destined to die at this time, the Officer could exercise free will and execute him, and that gross stupidity may render one culpable as regards one’s own fate to the degree that the Chossid’s action/inaction might in certain circumstances be deemed akin to suicide!  

The Marhashal explains that suicide is a sin because its premise is that we are owners of our own lives.  In fact we are granted our lives “b’Kovod Shomayim” (for the honour of Heaven).  In this case, it is possible that being Moser Nefesh (foregoing one’s life) in the context of Tefilloh would add to Kovod Shomayim and while not required, might be permissible, and certainly does not constitute suicide.  Furthermore, the Officer were he to have killed the Chossid would indeed be found guilty of murder and punishable "b'yday Shomayim.".

He goes on to explain that while we are only required to give up our lives if asked to transgress one of the three cardinal sins, interrupting one’s Tefilloh might conceivably be an exception in that it involves "standing before the King."

The Chossid’s response was designed very directly to demonstrate both the Kovod Shomayim intrinsic in Tefilloh, and the consequence of hasty action by the Officer;  hence the reaction “the Officer was immediately appeased.”