Commentary for Deuteronomy 12:16

רק הדם לא תאכלו ONLY YE SHALL NOT EAT THE BLOOD — Although I have told you that there is no sprinkling of blood on the altar in its case (it being blemished and thus unfit for the altar), you shall nevertheless not eat it.

Its blood is not to be sprinkled on the altar, etc. I.e., one might think that eating blood is prohibited only in order to sprinkle it on the altar [and therefore it would be permitted here], so the verse lets us know differently [that “You may not eat the blood,”] However, it is perplexing that we need this verse. For we can derive this from the verse in Parshas Acharei Mos (Vayikra 17:10), “Whoever eats any blood, etc.,” which teaches [a prohibition] regarding blood even from ordinary meat — as Rashi explains there. Perhaps the answer is: The prohibition is written twice [though it is unnecessary]. Re”m explains likewise above in Parshas Acharei Mos. But it seems to me that if we only had the verse, “Whoever eats, etc.,” then we might think: Even though they are ordinary animals, but since at the time of slaughtering they were unblemished and their blood was thus fit to be offered upon the altar, therefore the Torah prohibits [eating] their blood. However, this is not so regarding sacred sacrifices that became unfit, therefore an additional verse is necessary to forbid its blood. See what I wrote above in Parshas Acharei Mos.

V. 16. רק הדם לא תאכלו (siehe zu V. 15). על הארץ תשפכנו כמים, obgleich פסולי המוקדשים hinsichtlich בכורה ומתנות durch die Gleichstellung mit חיה צבי ואיל- Charakter haben, so unterliegt doch ihr Blut nicht der כיסוי-Pflicht wie das Blut wirklicher חיה (Chulin 84 a; — siehe zu Wajikra 17, 13.) Gleichzeitig ist durch den Satz על הארץ תשפכנו כמים die Bestimmung gegeben, dass alles nicht für den Altar bestimmte Blut, מים ,דם שנשפך על הארץ-Charakter trägt und wie "Wasser" מכשיר זרעים ist (siehe zu Wajikra 11, 34), im Gegensatz zu דם קדשים, das nicht מכשיר ist (Chulin 33 a).