Qitzur Shulchan Arukh – 183:2

ב: אֲפִלּוּ מִי שֶׁבָּא אֵיזֶה נֶזֶק עָלָיו, אָסוּר לְסַלְּקוֹ מֵעָלָיו, אִם עַל יְדֵי זֶה יִגְרוֹם שֶׁיָבוֹא עַל חֲבֵרוֹ, כִּי אָסוּר לְהַצִּיל אֶת עַצְמוֹ אֲפִלּוּ בִּגְרַם נֶזֶק מָמוֹן שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ. אֲבָל קֹדֶם שֶׁבָּא הַנֶּזֶק עָלָיו, מֻתָּר לִדְחוֹתוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יָבוֹא עָלָיו, אַף-עַל-פִּי שֶׁעַל יְדֵי זֶה יָבוֹא עַל חֲבֵרוֹ. כְּגוֹן אַמַּת הַמַּיִם שֶׁבָּאָה לִשְׁטֹף שָׂדֵהוּ, עַד שֶׁלֹּא נִכְנְסָה לְשָׂדֵהוּ, מֻתָּר לִגְדֹּר בְפָנֶיהָ, אַף-עַל-פִּי שֶׁעַל יְדֵי זֶה הִיא שׁוֹטֶפֶת שְׂדֵה חֲבֵרוֹ. אֲבָל מִשֶּׁנִּכְנְסָה לְשָׂדֵהוּ, אָסוּר לְהוֹצִיאָה בְעִנְיָן שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִשְׂדֵה חֲבֵרוֹ, שֶׁכֵּיוָן שֶׁהַנֶּזֶק מֻטָּל עָלָיו, אֵינוֹ רַשַׁאי לְסַלְּקוֹ מֵעָלָיו וּלְהַטִּילוֹ עַל חֲבֵרוֹ

Even someone who incurred damages on himself he can not remove it from himself if through this he will cause [damages] to come upon someone else. Because he can’t save himself even through indirect causing his friend monetary damages. However, before he incurs the damages, he may push it off that it won’t come upon him, even if through this it will be incurred by his friend. For example, if a stream of water approached [threatening] to flood his field, while it hadn’t yet entered his field, it it permitted to place a damn before it even though through this it will flood his friend’s field. However, once it entered his field, it is prohibited to remove it in a way that it would enter someone else’s. Since the damage already occured, it is inappropriate to divert it from him and place it on his friend.


All else being equal, one may save their own first. However, if I already incurred damages, then all else isn’t equal. I’m merely using my misery as an excuse to share it with someone else.

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