Shabbos Parashas Tzav - 5776
Shabbos Parashas Tzav - 5776
Rabbi Hal Miller
You shall not consume any blood, in any of your dwelling places, whether from
birds or from animals. [Vayikra 7:26]
Ugh! Why would we even think to eat blood? Why would the Torah need to tell us in
multiple places that we may not eat it? What exactly is the Torah's intention?
As with many other practices, this was common among idolaters of the day, and the
Torah goes to great lengths in many places to break us away from all idolatrous
practices. This is a good reason for our verse, but is it all the reason?
Rambam confirms that eating blood is repugnant to us: "And there were people who
found it difficult to swallow blood--for it is something which man's nature rejects." So
why did people do it? He goes into detail about idols and spirits of the non-Jews.
The Torah tells us in Vayikra 17:11 that the blood serves for atonement for man. We,
who have committed many sins against G-d's commandments, need to cleanse
ourselves. Many of these call for our deaths. G-d has given us the sacrifice as a
substitute. Since blood was believed to be the life-force of all living things, our offer
of the blood was the actual substitute for our own blood.
Rav Kook notes that man was originally created as a vegetarian, and only given meat
to eat after having failed to keep G-d's commandments. He says on the command to
cover blood that is spilled during shechitah (butchering), "Cover the blood, remove
your shame."
Noting that every creature knows enough to get out of the way of trouble, and to seek
food and pleasure, thus has some similarities to man, Nachshoni reminds us that G-d
"permitted the use of animals for man's enjoyment and needs. But the life-force (blood)
was to serve to atone for man. All lives belong to Hashem, both man and animal." We
can stop with this and say that G-d told us we can do this, but that is not enough,
especially where this was given us for our weaknesses. This equating of man and animal
explains why we need to be careful with the blood, as it is the same as ours. He reiterates
the idea of substituting for us, and divides it into two types. Not only do we substitute for our
own blood, that we are liable for because of sin, but we are also required to be willing to
sacrifice our lives for the sanctification of G-d's name. The animal blood is a substitute for both.
Nechama Leibowitz cites Ramban's opinion that "the prohibition of blood is primarily
to educate man towards respect and consideration for all living beings." She continues
by noting the equating idea we just saw: "G-d has endowed the animals with life,
feeling, a modicum of intelligence, and even with loyalty and affection," from which we
can learn our lessons for our times. In our day, without the altar upon which we could
bring sacrifices, the other commentaries may not be as applicable. But when we see
this equating, and we see how the Torah directed us to treat animals that are, at least
to some extent, our equal, we can say that the compassion we must show them, all
the moreso we must show to our fellow man. Our verse is not about eating blood, but
about "consuming" our fellow. Kindness is required.