Komentarz do Powtórzonego Prawa 12:23

רק חזק לבלתי אכל הדם ONLY BE STRONG THAT THOU EAT NOT THE BLOOD — From the fact that it states, “Be strong” (make a special effort), you may learn that they had a prediliction to blood — to the eating of it; it was therefore necessary to state, “be strong”. This is the view of R. Judah. R. Simeon, the son of Azzai, however, says: Scripture merely intends to caution you and to teach you to what great an extent you must strive to fulfil the divine commandments in general. If, as regards blood from which one can easily keep aloof since one does not long for it, it felt it necessary to insist on a strong effort on your part when forbidding it to you, how much the more is it necessary for you to make great efforts in keeping other commands [the fulfillment of which requires much moral strength] (cf. Sifrei Devarim 76:1-3).

רק חזק לבלתי אכול הדם, even though you hope that by eating the blood you will be able to divine the future as do the demons as our sages said in Chagigah 16 that upon eating blood one can hear the future in the same manner as do the ministering angels.” [On that folio the Talmud does not describe the demons as eating blood, specifically; also the Talmud describes the knowledge of the demons of future events as not based on their intelligence, but as something they overheard in the celestial regions. Nachmanides elaborates on all this, particularly in his commentary on the relevant verse in Acharey Mot. Ed.]

רק חזק לבלתי אכול הדם, seeing that the blood is scattered and embedded in all parts of the flesh it requires special effort to extract it all before eating the meat.

רק חזק לבלתי אכול הדם, “only remain steadfast not to consume the blood!” Our sages quote this line as proof that the Israelites had been deeply steeped in blood. [The prohibition against eating blood is repeated 7 times in the Torah. Ed.] Nachmanides writes that although the reason given by the Torah here and elsewhere for not eating blood, i.e. that it is equivalent to eating the animal’s life-force, its “animalistic soul,” is certainly adequate, and justifies the many repetitions of that prohibition, he, personally, does not feel satisfied with this reason. There must be some additional reason for Moses exhorting the people by calling out “only remain steadfast, etc.” What is the special steadfastness and faith that Moses believes is necessary in order to withstand the supposed allure of eating blood? Expressions such as the one used by Moses here are normally used when someone is encouraged to keep his courage when going to war, as Moses himself used when he charged Joshua with the task of leading the people after he had gone. (Compare Deut. 31,23) We find such exhortations when they concern the whole range of commandments, but never when they concern the observance of only a single commandment, and especially a negative commandment where one is not required to do something but is only required to refrain from initiating an act of rebellion against G’d! But it appears to me that Moses employed this expression because he was aware to what extent the Israelites, while still in Egypt, had clung to this particular kind of idolatrous practice. They had slaughtered animals to these deities, for why else would the Torah in Leviticus 17,7 have accused them of having done so by writing; “so that they will not continue to slaughter to the satyrs, etc.?” They had gathered the blood of these animals in order to present them to the demons and had eaten some of the blood. By doing so they were considered as if they had called upon these demons, especially in order to have their future foretold for them. Clearly, that was not the major reason why the Torah prohibited the eating of blood. The Torah has revealed that reason repeatedly when referring to the blood representing the essence of life, and that we must not eat it, as we would absorb too much animalistic “genes” by doing so. G’d has arranged things so that by presenting the animal’s blood to Him on the Altar, it atones for our cardinal sins, resurrects us in a manner of speaking, instead of us becoming more like animals. The Torah was concerned that people who had their future foretold by them after eating blood, and the predictions had come true, that this would be a strong stimulant for other people copying such practices, and it requires great fortitude to withstand such a temptation.

רק חזק לבלתי אכול הדם, “only be strong, not to eat the blood, etc.” Seeing that in the past the Israelites had been consuming lots of blood as parts of the pagan cults they had worshipped while in Egypt, the Torah had to make a special appeal to them to resist the temptation to eat blood. The Torah had to especially legislate in Leviticus 19,26: “do not eat in the presence of blood,” i.e. not to eat meat before all the blood had been removed.
Similarly, sacrificial meat must not be eaten until after the animal’s blood has been sprinkled on the altar. In our verse the Torah again exhorts us to resist the temptation based on a long tradition to eat blood. Consuming blood is one of the ways through which the Israelites might suffer a relapse to the ways of paganism. The prohibition to eat blood occurs no fewer than seven times in the Torah. (Leviticus 3,17; 7,26; 17,12; 17,14; 19,26; Deut. 12,16; 12,23).
It is quite customary to repeat again and again injunctions against practices considered as especially objectionable in the eyes of the Lord. For instance, the work-prohibition on the Sabbath appears on 12 separate occasions. This is because the Sabbath legislation is considered as equaling in importance all other laws of the Torah combined (Maimonides end of Hilchot Shabbat). The subject of the Exodus from Egypt appears no fewer than 50 times in the Torah, showing how fundamental to Judaism this event is considered by the Torah.
Another possible reason why he Torah here uses the unusual phrasing of “only be strong,” is that seeing that it is a widespread perception that consuming the blood of an animal strengthens the body of the person eating it, it is natural for people to think that the whole purpose of eating meat is in order to make the blood part of one’s own body. The Torah therefore has to tell the Israelite that his body will become stronger if he does not eat the blood of the animal. The word רק in our verse exempts the liver, which is all blood, from the prohibition of eating blood. We find a similar exclusion in the words אך כאשר יאכל הצבי in verse 22 where the Torah exempts the consumption of חלב, certain fat parts of the animal reserved for the altar in animals fit as sacrifices from that general prohibition. In other words, חלב of free-roaming beasts such as deer is not forbidden for consumption by Jews. Our verse here was necessary as we might have drawn a parallel between the permission to eat חלב of animals which do not qualify as sacrifices for the altar with blood of animals which do not qualify as sacrifices. The Torah therefore had to repeat the prohibition once more in connection with meat consumed as meat which had not been consecrated first. Also, the Torah wanted to avoid our drawing the conclusion that just as the חלב of a free-roaming beast is permissible, so the חלב of a domestic animal not slaughtered as a sacrifice is permitted. Had it been the intent of the Torah to allow such a conclusion, the Torah would have had to write in verse 22 כל אשר יאכל בצבי ואיל יאכל, “everything which is permitted to eat of the deer, etc. may be eaten (in all non-sacrificial animals).

You must exercise strength with mitzvos, etc. For a person’s evil inclination constantly tempts him to transgress Hashem’s will. Therefore, even regarding [seemingly] easy mitzvos, a person must exercise strength. All the more so regarding other mitzvos that a person craves [to transgress them] (Maharai).

V. 23. רק חזק. Diese dem Verbote des Blutgenusses vorangehende ganz besonders ernste Warnung bezeugt den hohen Wert, den das Gesetz auf dessen Beachtung setzt und zugleich die ganze Tiefe der Gefährdung, die aus dem Genusse tierischen Blutes dem seelischen Menschenwesen in Hinblick auf die sittliche Aufgabe erwachsen werde, deren Lösung das Gesetz von dem jüdischen Menschen erwartet. Im ספרי wird daraus zugleich die leidenschaftliche Stärke des Gewohnheitshanges erkannt, mit welchem die heidnische Welt gerade an dem Genusse des tierischen Blutes hing, ein Hang, der eben im jüdischen Kreise durch die sinaitische Gesetzgebung völlig überwunden wurde. Das Verbot des Blutgenusses ist bereits im Wajikra an drei Stellen ausgesprochen: Kap. 3, 17; 7, 26; 17.12. — 14 (siehe daselbst), und auch bereits oben (V. 16) im Zusammenhange mit פסולי המוקדשים. Hier, wo mit der Niederlassung im Lande die Gestattung des gewöhnlichen Fleischgenusses, בשר תאוה, eintreten und die Beachtung der darauf bezüglichen Gesetzesbestimmungen dem Gewissen eines jeden einzelnen überantwortet werden sollte, war die Warnung vor dem Blutgenuss und vor dem Zurückfallen in die daran sich knüpfenden heidnischen Wahnanschauungen und Gelüste mit wiederholtem Ernste dem Vademekumkompendium für die Dezentralisierung im Lande einzufügen.

ולא תאכל הנפש עם הבשר AND THOU MAYEST NOT EAT THE LIFE WITH THE FLESH — This is a prohibition of אבר מן החי, the eating of a limb cut from a living animal (Sifrei Devarim 76:5; Chullin 102a; cf. Rashi on Genesis 9:4).

כי הדם הוא הנפש, “for the blood is equivalent to the life-force.” The Torah writes this here to provide a reason for this prohibition. I have discussed this at length in Leviticus 17,11.

This prohibits the limb of a living animal. The verse means to say, “Do not eat from it while the spirit is with the meat.

כי הדם הוא הנפש. (Siehe zu Bereschit 9, 4 und Bamidbar 17, 11 über den bedeutsamen Konstruktionswechsel zur Verhütung einer jeden irrigen Identifizierung der Seele mit dem Blute.) Dem göttlichen Gesetze ist das Blut der mit jedem Pulsschlag den ganzen Körper durchkreisende Stoff, vermittelst dessen die Seele ihre allgegenwärtige Beherrschung des Leibes vollzieht. Es ist somit in eminentem Sinne der erste Träger der Seele und versagt daher das Gesetz dem Tierblut, als Träger der Tierseele, den Eintritt in den der sittlich freien Menschenbestimmung heiligen Bereich der Menschenseele. Nachdem in allen den erwähnten Stellen das reine Verhältnis der Seele zum Blute sichergestellt ist, heißt es nun hier zur letzten wiederholten Warnung vor dem Blutgenuss geradezu: כי הדם הוא הנפש, das Blut ist die körperliche Vergegenwärtigung der Seele, mit dem Genuss des Tierblutes gehen seine Dispositionen für die Tierseele und an ihm haftende Eindrücke von der Tierseele mit ein in den Menschenleib!

ולא תאכל הנפש עם הבשר, “and you are not to eat the life-force when you eat the meat.” The literal meaning is that you must not eat the meat which has been cut out of a living animal while this animal remains alive. Even if the animal from which this piece of flesh had been cut off died in the meantime, the piece cut off first is forbidden under the heading of אבר מן החי, “tissue from living animals”, a prohibition which applies to all of mankind as we know from Genesis 9,4. The reason is that inflicting such pain on the animal is an act of cruelty which will engender cruel traits in the person consuming such flesh. The Torah adds the words (apparently unnecessary) לא תאכלנו, “do not eat it” (verse 24), to tell you that you must not eat the blood which is slow in seeping out, (which we remove through salting the meat).

ולא תאכל הנפש עם הבשר: und wie du das Blut nicht essen sollst, in welchem die Seele in erster Linie ihre körperliche Vergegenwärtigung hat, so sollst du auch das Fleisch nicht in dem Momente zum Genuss nehmen, in welchem noch die Seele mit dem Leibe in Verbindung steht, in welchem das von dir zum Genuss zu nehmende Glied noch unter Herrschaft der Seele steht. Es ist dies das Verbot: אבר מן החי, des vom lebendigen Leibe losgetrennten Organs. Ein Verbot, das für die ganze noachidische Welt bereits Bereschit 9, 3 ausgesprochen war, hier aber wiederholt ist, um jenes Verbot auch nach der sinaitischen, nur das jüdische Volk verpflichtenden Gesetzgebung, für die noachidische Welt aufrecht zu halten, nach dem Kanon: כל מצוה שנאמרה לבני נח ונשנית בסיני לזה ולזה נאמרה לבני נח ולא נשנית בסיני לישראל נאמרה ולא לבני נה (Sanhedrin 59 a). — Schmot 22, 39 in dem Ausspruche ובשר בשדה טרפה לא תאכלו ist בשר מן החי, einem lebendigen Tierleibe entnommenes "Fleisch" zum Genusse verboten (siehe daselbst), während hier von einem solchen entnommenen "Gliede die Rede ist (Chulin 102 b; — vergl. Wajikra 11, 32 den Unterschied zwischen אבר מן החי und בשר מן החי in Beziehung auf טומאה).