Mitzvah —
191
Not to eat a limb torn off a living creature
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רַ֣ק חֲזַ֗ק לְבִלְתִּי֙ אֲכֹ֣ל הַדָּ֔ם כִּ֥י הַדָּ֖ם ה֣וּא הַנָּ֑פֶשׁ וְלֹא־תֹאכַ֥ל הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ עִם־הַבָּשָֽׂר׃ - פָּרָשַׁת רְאֵה
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Deuteronomy 12:23 - "However, be strong not to eat the blood, for the blood is the soul; and you shall not eat the soul with the flesh."
This Mitzvah's Summary
מִצְוָה עֲשֵׂה - Positive Commandment
מִצְוָה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה - Negative Commandment
Kashrut – כַּשְׁרוּת
Forbidden to eat any limb or flesh taken from a living animal.
This mitzvah prohibits eating a limb or piece of flesh removed from a living animal, a prohibition known as ever min hachai. It applies to both Jews and non-Jews, as it is one of the Seven Noahide Laws. The Torah stresses that food must come only from animals slaughtered in accordance with halachah. Eating from a living creature is an act of cruelty and impurity, contrary to holiness and respect for life.
Commentary & Classical Explanation:
- Rambam (Hilchot Ma’achalot Asurot 5:2): Codifies the prohibition of eating any limb from a living animal, regardless of size or form.
- Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 452): The root is to promote compassion and to sanctify eating by distancing us from barbaric practices.
- Talmud (Sanhedrin 56a): Identifies ever min hachai as one of the Seven Noahide Laws, showing its universal moral importance.
Commentaries
(Source: Chabad.org)
