(כב) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (כג) דַּבֵּ֛ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר כׇּל־חֵ֜לֶב שׁ֥וֹר וְכֶ֛שֶׂב וָעֵ֖ז לֹ֥א תֹאכֵֽלוּ׃ (כד) וְחֵ֤לֶב נְבֵלָה֙ וְחֵ֣לֶב טְרֵפָ֔ה יֵעָשֶׂ֖ה לְכׇל־מְלָאכָ֑ה וְאָכֹ֖ל לֹ֥א תֹאכְלֻֽהוּ׃ (כה) כִּ֚י כׇּל־אֹכֵ֣ל חֵ֔לֶב מִ֨ן־הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַקְרִ֥יב מִמֶּ֛נָּה אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַיהֹוָ֑ה וְנִכְרְתָ֛ה הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הָאֹכֶ֖לֶת מֵֽעַמֶּֽיהָ׃ (כו) וְכׇל־דָּם֙ לֹ֣א תֹאכְל֔וּ בְּכֹ֖ל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶ֑ם לָע֖וֹף וְלַבְּהֵמָֽה׃ (כז) כׇּל־נֶ֖פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאכַ֣ל כׇּל־דָּ֑ם וְנִכְרְתָ֛ה הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַהִ֖וא מֵֽעַמֶּֽיהָ׃ {פ}
(22) And יהוה spoke to Moses, saying: (23) Speak to the Israelite people thus: You shall eat no fat of ox or sheep or goat. (24) Fat from animals that died or were torn by beasts may be put to any use, but you must not eat it. (25) If anyone eats the fat of animals from which offerings by fire may be made to יהוה, the person who eats it shall be cut off from kin. (26) And you must not consume any blood, either of bird or of animal, in any of your settlements. (27) Anyone who eats blood shall be cut off from kin.
Why is it forbidden to consume blood?
Rambam:
The reader should know that even though the idolators considered blood to be highly impure, that did not prevent them from consuming it. They did this because they believed that blood constituted the sustenance of demons, and they hoped that eating blood would grant them the ability that demons hold, to read the future. In response, and in an effort to dispel such delusions and stop such practices, our Torah forbids the consumption of blood.
Ramban:
It seems that the reason that it is forbidden to eat blood is that this substance is meant to be cast against the altar to achieve atonement for our souls...Now the Lord created all of the lower creatures for the sake of mankind, for our species is the only one capable of recognizing the Creator. Still, at first humans were not granted the right to eat animals, and had to subsist on vegetation alone...However, during the flood it was Noah's merit which rescued the animal kingdom, and it was he who offered sacrifices to God which the Almighty accepted. In response, God allowed people to slaughter animals for food. God permitted man to use the bodies of these creatures for his benefit and his needs, and directed that their souls [inherent in their blood] serve as atonement for human transgressions, to be offered up to God but not to be eaten.
Questions to consider:
- In Ramban's opening line he offers a fundamental reason for the prohibition of consuming blood. What is it? According to Ramban, in what way is this section of the Torah connected to the previous one which discusses the shelamim?
- In Ramban's closing line, he distinguished between an animal's meat, which is permitted, and its blood, which is forbidden. What is his explanation for the difference between them?
- Rambam and Ramban both understand that the prohibition of eating blood is tied to historical events, but they relate to different events. Which historical events do they each refer to?
- According to each of the commentaries above, what would have been the status of blood if those events would not have happened?