The following verse is the Maimonides' main source for prohibiting cannibalism:
Fill in the translation in the blank spaces below. The bold word can be found in the Frank Dictionary. The other words can be found through Morfix.
וְהָאוֹכֵל מִבְּשַׂר הָאָדָם אוֹ מֵחֶלְבּוֹ
בֵּין מִן הַחַי בֵּין מִן הַמֵּת
אֵינוֹ לוֹקֶה.
אֲבָל אָסוּר הוּא בַּעֲשֵׂה
שֶׁהֲרֵי מָנָה הַכָּתוּב... מִינֵי חַיָּה
וְאָמַר בָּהֶן
(ויקרא יא ב) "זֹאת הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר תֹּאכְלוּ"
הָא כָּל שֶׁהוּא חוּץ מֵהֶן לֹא תֹּאכְלוּ...
Someone who eats the flesh of a human or its fat,
he does not receive lashes [for eating human flesh]
However, [eating human flesh] is prohibited based on a positive commandment
Because the Torah lists...the various types of creatures [in Leviticus chapter 11]
(Leviticus 11:2)-"these are the creatures you may eat"
Background to the following three sources:
Nahmanides (in his commentary to Leviticus 11:3) rejects Maimonides' source. One of his reasons is that the Talmud (Ketuvot 60a) permits people to swallow their own blood in their gums if they have a cut (don't worry, we will study this later when we get to the topic of blood). If human beings are considered prohibited creatures, than anything coming from a human being--including blood--should also be prohibited. Therefore, he argues, we cannot use the verse in Leviticus as proof.
Instead, Nahmanides argues that the talmudic passage quoted in source 5 is the better proof for human flesh being prohibited.
In order to better understand source 5, we need to be familiar with the following two sources.
Source number 3 speaks about the Eglah Arufah (literally, the cow with the broken neck). If a dead body was found in the land of Israel and there murderer was not found, the leaders of the town closest to the corpse would break the neck of a calf as an atonement ritual.
Source number 4 discusses the death of Miriam.
The talmud in source 5 puts sources 3 and 4 together to argue that benefiting from a dead body is prohibited. The key words in the verses have been bolded for you.
(א) וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ בְנֵֽי־יִ֠שְׂרָאֵל כָּל־הָ֨עֵדָ֤ה מִדְבַּר־צִן֙ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הָֽרִאשׁ֔וֹן וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב הָעָ֖ם בְּקָדֵ֑שׁ וַתָּ֤מָת שָׁם֙ מִרְיָ֔ם וַתִּקָּבֵ֖ר שָֽׁם׃
(א) כִּי־יִמָּצֵ֣א חָלָ֗ל בָּאֲדָמָה֙ אֲשֶׁר֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ נֹתֵ֤ן לְךָ֙ לְרִשְׁתָּ֔הּ נֹפֵ֖ל בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה לֹ֥א נוֹדַ֖ע מִ֥י הִכָּֽהוּ׃ (ב) וְיָצְא֥וּ זְקֵנֶ֖יךָ וְשֹׁפְטֶ֑יךָ וּמָדְדוּ֙ אֶל־הֶ֣עָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר סְבִיבֹ֥ת הֶחָלָֽל׃ (ג) וְהָיָ֣ה הָעִ֔יר הַקְּרֹבָ֖ה אֶל־הֶחָלָ֑ל וְלָֽקְח֡וּ זִקְנֵי֩ הָעִ֨יר הַהִ֜וא עֶגְלַ֣ת בָּקָ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־עֻבַּד֙ בָּ֔הּ אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־מָשְׁכָ֖ה בְּעֹֽל׃ (ד) וְהוֹרִ֡דוּ זִקְנֵי֩ הָעִ֨יר הַהִ֤וא אֶת־הָֽעֶגְלָה֙ אֶל־נַ֣חַל אֵיתָ֔ן אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־יֵעָבֵ֥ד בּ֖וֹ וְלֹ֣א יִזָּרֵ֑עַ וְעָֽרְפוּ־שָׁ֥ם אֶת־הָעֶגְלָ֖ה בַּנָּֽחַל׃ (ה) וְנִגְּשׁ֣וּ הַכֹּהֲנִים֮ בְּנֵ֣י לֵוִי֒ כִּ֣י בָ֗ם בָּחַ֞ר יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ לְשָׁ֣רְת֔וֹ וּלְבָרֵ֖ךְ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה וְעַל־פִּיהֶ֥ם יִהְיֶ֖ה כָּל־רִ֥יב וְכָל־נָֽגַע׃ (ו) וְכֹ֗ל זִקְנֵי֙ הָעִ֣יר הַהִ֔וא הַקְּרֹבִ֖ים אֶל־הֶחָלָ֑ל יִרְחֲצוּ֙ אֶת־יְדֵיהֶ֔ם עַל־הָעֶגְלָ֖ה הָעֲרוּפָ֥ה בַנָּֽחַל׃ (ז) וְעָנ֖וּ וְאָמְר֑וּ יָדֵ֗ינוּ לֹ֤א שפכה [שָֽׁפְכוּ֙] אֶת־הַדָּ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה וְעֵינֵ֖ינוּ לֹ֥א רָאֽוּ׃ (ח) כַּפֵּר֩ לְעַמְּךָ֨ יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל אֲשֶׁר־פָּדִ֙יתָ֙ יְהוָ֔ה וְאַל־תִּתֵּן֙ דָּ֣ם נָקִ֔י בְּקֶ֖רֶב עַמְּךָ֣ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְנִכַּפֵּ֥ר לָהֶ֖ם הַדָּֽם׃ (ט) וְאַתָּ֗ה תְּבַעֵ֛ר הַדָּ֥ם הַנָּקִ֖י מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ כִּֽי־תַעֲשֶׂ֥ה הַיָּשָׁ֖ר בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃ (ס)
(1) If, in the land that the LORD your God is assigning you to possess, someone slain is found lying in the open, the identity of the slayer not being known, (2) your elders and magistrates shall go out and measure the distances from the corpse to the nearby towns. (3) The elders of the town nearest to the corpse shall then take a heifer which has never been worked, which has never pulled in a yoke; (4) and the elders of that town shall bring the heifer down to an everflowing wadi, which is not tilled or sown. There, in the wadi, they shall break the heifer’s neck. (5) The priests, sons of Levi, shall come forward; for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister to Him and to pronounce blessing in the name of the LORD, and every lawsuit and case of assault is subject to their ruling. (6) Then all the elders of the town nearest to the corpse shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi. (7) And they shall make this declaration: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. (8) Absolve, O LORD, Your people Israel whom You redeemed, and do not let guilt for the blood of the innocent remain among Your people Israel.” And they will be absolved of bloodguilt. (9) Thus you will remove from your midst guilt for the blood of the innocent, for you will be doing what is right in the sight of the LORD.
Fill in the translation for the spaces below that are blank. The bold words can be found in the Frank Dictionary. Please use the previous two sources to help you understand the Gemara's argument.
ומת גופיה מנלן?
אתיא "שם" "שם" מ-עגלה ערופה
כתיב הכא:
(במדבר כ, א) "ותמת שם מרים"
וכתיב התם:
(דברים כא, ד) "וערפו שם את העגלה בנחל"
מה להלן אסור ב-הנאה
אף כאן נמי אסור ב-הנאה
והתם מנלן?
אמרי דבי רבי ינאי כפרה כתיב בה כקדשים:
With regard to a dead body itself, how do we know [that one may not derive benefit from it]?
(Numbers 20:1)- "Miriam died there"
(Deuteronomy 21:4)-There, in the wadi, they shall break the heifer's neck.
And there [with regard to the Eglah Arufah] do we learn [that benefiting from it is prohibited]?
The school of Rabbi Yannai said: there is atonement mentioned [with regard to the Eglah Arufah], just like sacrifices. [Just like benefiting from sacrifices is prohibited, so too the Eglah Arufah.]