We will begin with the second explanation, which concerns the blood of all animals whose flesh may be eaten, not necessarily just those sacrificed on the altar: “And if any Israelite or any stranger who resides among them hunts down an animal or a bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. For the life of all flesh – its blood is its life. Therefore I say to the Israelite people: You shall not partake of the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Anyone who partakes of it shall be cut off” (Leviticus 17:13-14).
The word “nefesh” (translated here as “life”) refers to the life force in human and animal circulatory systems. The text emphasizes the relationship between blood and life in every way possible: the “life of all flesh – its blood is its life” – that is, life contains the blood; the “life of all flesh is its blood” – life is in a creature’s blood; and, the “life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11) – the blood contains life.
