Torah Tidbit
Parashah Tzav (command someone), Leviticus 6:1 – 8:36
God further instructs Moses on acceptable offerings and how to perform them. The priests perform the first seven days of their eight day consecration/induction ceremony.
“You shall not consume any blood, in any of your dwelling places, whether from fowl or from animas. Any person who consumes any blood – that soul will be cut off from its people.” – Leviticus 7:26-27
Walking the Walk
This parashah’s contents is really for the Jews only. As for the above verse, non-Jews actually have the opposite instruction. Using God’s instructions to Noah as a reinforcement to the laws received at Sinai,
“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you, like the green herbage I have given you everything. But flesh, with its soul its blood you shall not eat.” – Genesis 9:3-4
the sages derive that non-Jews are prohibited from taking flesh from an animal that is alive, or as the verse states, still has the soul clinging to it. Some basic details:
- Flesh (baser) is meat. Skin, tendons, bone, blood, etc. are not considered meat and so can be taken from the animal while it is alive. However that action is prohibited as cruelty to animals.
- The blood is mentioned separately from the meat. This implies that the prohibition is restricted to animals for which Torah distinguishes the meat from the blood – essentially all mammals that reproduce on land save for mice, moles, voles, etc. Reptiles, amphibians, insects, arachnids and all aquatic life are exempt.
- Yes, blood can be eaten. So go enjoy that haggis this weekend.
Note that non-Jews receive absolutely no spiritual merit by adopting any of the Jewish kosher laws and instead might bring harsh judgement upon themselves. Instead of doing that, take more care to make sure the meat you buy was not taken from the animal before its soul had fully left the body. With each meat meal, make an effort to appreciate how HaShem nourishes using that meat.
One of the most difficult areas in our lives to control is what we eat – look at how Adam and Eve got evicted from the Garden. God’s expectations for our self-control regarding the eating of meat is ultimately a gift that will help us gain self-control in the rest of our eating habits.
By the way, any non-Jew may bring a sacrifice to the Temple. However, offerings are limited to elevation offerings, where the whole animal is burnt and none is eaten. Although Jews can only bring offerings to the Temple and no other location, a non-Jew may offer an elevation offering anywhere, whether the Temple exists or not (Talmud Zevachim 115b)! However, for a great many reasons the sages strongly advise against doing so (Ramban, Rashi, Tosafos, etc., etc.).
Have a great week!