Why is it forbidden to eat blood?

The Torah left no room for speculation. Three times in our parasha, Acharei Mot, the Torah repeats and clarifies that the blood represents the soul, so it is forbidden to eat it.

This requires explanation. We are dealing with an animal that has just been slaughtered for food. Wouldn’t it be better not to kill her at all and leave her alive?

What is the logic of killing an animal and then honoring it and not eating its blood which represents the soul that we just took from it?

The answer is, surprisingly, absolutely positive: indeed, it would have been better not to kill her. This is exactly what the Torah came to teach us through the prohibition of eating blood. The soul, not only of a person but of every living creature, is precious and important, therefore killing animals is a problematic thing. On the other hand, man needs to eat meat to survive. Even today, a vegetarian person who does not eat meat needs nutritional supplements to make up for the deficiency resulting from not eating meat.

The “Book of Education,” written towards the end of the 13th century and attributed to Rabbi Aharon Halevi, explains the meaning of this mitzvah: “It is proper for us not to eat the animal`s blood to teach us compassion and keep as away from cruel habits”.

Let’s remember that the basic of Kashrut is not just “do not eat pork or shellfish.”          It’s also STRICTLY FORBIDDEN to eat lamb or cow if its blood wasn’t extracted according to the Jewish process – having the meat half an hour in water and another hour covered in salt and placed in a position that allows the blood to flow out from the flesh.

That is why Kosher meat is sometimes salty and sometimes hard!!

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Refael Cohen