Thursday, April 26, 2007

who would eat blood anyway?

Parshat Acharei Mos

in 17:10-14, we have a span of 5 psukim in which the Torah tells us 5 times not to eat blood and another 3 times that someone who does eat blood will be cut off from Israel.

Isn't that a bit much? Why the need to repeat it so much? Especially considering the general revulsion people have to eating blood - almost nobody eats blood, so why repeat it so much?

Maybe because the severity of eating blood is so high because of its relation to the soul - כי הדם הוא הנפש.

Anybody have a good explanation?

1 comment:

Josh M. said...

Who doesn't eat blood?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pudding
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kishka_%28food%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ti%E1%BA%BFt_canh

Alternatively/On a more serious note, I recall seeing someone (Ramban?) who says that the reason why the issur against blood is so severe is precisely because it's so repugnant to most people, thereby making it an "easy A".