This week’s Torah portion, Tzav (Lev. 6:1 – 8:36) continues
the details of the various sacrifices and ends with the order of the
consecration of the priests. Towards the
end of the section on sacrifices, God instructs Moses to tell the Israelite
people, “And you must not eat blood, either of bird or of animal, in any of
your settlements. Anyone who eats blood
shall be cut off from his kin” (Lev. 7:26-27).
This is not the first time in the Torah that we are told
that it is off-limits to eat blood. When
God makes a covenant with Noah after the flood, it is the first time God gives
permission for humans to eat the flesh of animals, but, “You must not, however,
eat flesh with its life-blood in it” (Gen. 9:4). Immediately following this instruction is the
prohibition of shedding human blood. A
line is drawn between humans and other animals.
However, it is reiterated that the blood of the sacrificed animals is to
be drained before being eaten. Blood is
not to be ingested.
Why this prohibition?
The propensity towards violence appears throughout human history. Many Torah commentators believe that God
permitted the limited consumption of meat, and animal sacrifices in the
Tabernacle as a substitute for human sacrifice, and for shedding human blood. Predatory animals eat indiscriminately of
their prey; skin, blood, organs and all.
The detailed instructions given in this Torah portion remind us that we are
created in the image of God, with the ability to choose to control our animal
instincts.
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