Torah Readings
Leviticus 17:10 - 18:5 - Prohibition of blood
or
Leviticus 20:1-8 or 9 - Prohibition of Molech-worship
Haftarah Reading
Jeremiah 32:26-41 - The abomination of Molech-worship
or
1 Samuel 14:20-35 - Saul's famished troops eat meat with the blood
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Our Torah reading this week has a focus on blood and how, whilst it is permitted for the Jewish people to eat meat, eating the blood is forbidden. Anyone who "partakes of blood" will be "cut off from among their kin" (Leviticus 17:10). Interestingly, this prohibition is not just given to the Jews, but was also given to Noah back in Genesis.
What is the reason for this? "For the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11). This may seem odd, and the biologists amongst you may have some questions about the veracity of this statement. Clearly the presence of blood is not the sign of life in a physical sense, and suggesting it is takes away from the literal way in which those slaughtering animals are ending life. Whatever the text says, we are not preserving life, so what are we doing?
The Torah as a whole places a lot of meaning into blood, whether it be the Nile turning to blood in Egypt or the blood on the doorposts of Jewish houses as the exodus reached its climax. It is to be used specifically and with meaning - such as in the sacrificial system - and is otherwise to be avoided. In the case of eating meat, there is event the instruction to bury the blood of an animal which is hunted in order to be eaten.
Blood may not be the physical sign of life, but it is a clear sign of connection with other sentient animals. Since Noah, we were permitted to use animals in the environment as food, but we were always given this limitation about the blood. We are not allowed to just kill without thought - we are made very aware of the life of the animal by having to treat its blood differently. It is a mechanism to stop us from acting on instinct, and instead to act with intention.
Blood is not literally the life, but it is a way of making us reckon with life and its worth. By forcing us to think about it, our tradition knows we may well shed blood, but makes us think about doing it with meaning and need, not just out of our instinctive desires.
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Next week contains two notable dates in the Jewish calendar, both of which are a bit less well known. The first is Pesach Sheni - the second opportunity to mark Pesach if a person was unable to mark the first for a range of reasons. Rabbi Miriam Berger wrote about it and its modern implications for the Jewish News recently. The other is Lag B'Omer - the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer between Pesach and Shavuot. Whilst the Omer is seen by many Jews as a mournful period, Lag B'Omer is a break in that mourning. You can read more about Lag B'Omer from our American counterparts or from MyJewishLearning.
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Many of our communities are sharing their events and inviting you to join. Have a look at the listings on RJ Communities TV to see which events might appeal to you.
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RSY-Netzer are recruiting for a number of jobs helping to make their summer events happen this year. Click here for information about those and other jobs at Reform Judaism and our communities and partners.
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It is unusual for headlines to be dominated by sport, but the announcement of a European Super League in football has hit the front pages. Jews have an interesting relationship with sport - we're hardly a group closely associated with sporting feats (you may remember this being a joke in the film "Airplane!"), yet also not one without plenty of interesting sporting history. Bleacher Report have a list of the greatest 25 Jewish sportspeople of all time. Gretel Bergmann was a high-jumper with Olympic aspirations who was barred from competing in 1930s Germany despite her talent - her story has been recorded here. Jewish sportspeople, especially in the US, have faced difficulties when events clash with important dates in our calendar - particularly Yom Kippur. You can read some famous stories of them making difficult decisions between their livelihood and faith here. And finally the book "Does your Rabbi know you're here?" looks at the hidden links between the Jewish community and football in this country. For some of our community, sport means a lot to them and it is a really interesting window through which to explore Jewish life, history and culture.
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