Today I donated blood for the 114th time. After six more donations, I will have donated 15 gallons. I encourage anyone who is able to donate. To me, donating blood is one of the ultimate forms of charity. I do not know exactly how many lives I might have saved through my donations. I do know that I have helped many people. Even though I am not a Christian, I value the teachings of Jesus. "Do unto others as you have them do unto you". I give blood in the hope that if and when I need it, someone will do the same for me and my loved ones. The Talmud tells us that the world was created for me, so saving one life is saving an entire world.
As a student of the Hebrew Bible, I find the topic of blood fascinating. The first mention of blood is in chapter four of Genesis. Interestingly, the word is in the plural, דמי אחיך, literally "the bloods of your brother. The use of blood in the plural is common in the Hebrew Bible, but not in English. The story of Cain and Abel is filled with anthropomorphisms. The "bloods" of Abel cries out. The Earth swallows the blood. Rashi, the pre-eminent rabbinic commentator, gives two explanations for the use of the plural. The first is that it is not only the blood of Abel that cries out, it is the blood of all his potential descendants that are now lost. His second explanation explains that Cain did not know where to strike a lethal blow, and hit Abel continuous over his whole body until he died, causing extensive bleeding.
The next time we hear about blood is after the Flood. Noah offers a sacrifice, and humans are subsequently permitted to eat the meat of the sacrifice. There is an interesting progression in this section of Genesis 9:4-6:
אַךְ־בָּשָׂ֕ר בְּנַפְשׁ֥וֹ דָמ֖וֹ לֹ֥א תֹאכֵֽלוּ׃
a. But flesh, its blood in its life, you will not eat; or
b. But flesh in its life, its blood you will not eat.
וְאַ֨ךְ אֶת־דִּמְכֶ֤ם לְנַפְשֹֽׁתֵיכֶם֙ אֶדְרֹ֔שׁ מִיַּ֥ד כּל־חַיָּ֖ה אֶדְרְשֶׁ֑נּוּ וּמִיַּ֣ד הָֽאָדָ֗ם מִיַּד֙ אִ֣ישׁ אָחִ֔יו אֶדְרֹ֖שׁ אֶת־נֶ֥פֶשׁ הָֽאָדָֽם׃
But for your own life-blood I will seek out, from the hand of every living thing I will seek it, and from the hand of the human, from the hand of a human's brother I will seek the life of the human.
שֹׁפֵךְ֙ דַּ֣ם הָֽאָדָ֔ם בָּֽאָדָ֖ם דָּמ֣וֹ יִשָּׁפֵ֑ךְ כִּ֚י בְּצֶ֣לֶם אֱלֹהִ֔ים עָשָׂ֖ה אֶת־הָאָדָֽם׃
Spill the blood of a human, by a human his blood will be spilled, because in the image of God (God) made the human.
In these three verses, full of ambiguities, are so many concepts. Verse four, according to Rashi, points to both the prohibition of cruelty to animals and the injunction against the consumption of blood. Verse five has difficult wording, but points to blood as so essential that God will react to its spilling. Verse 6 gives humanity the directive for capital punishment. This led Ramban, a 12th Century physician, mystic, and interpreter to claim that the blood is the essence of life, and is therefore prohibited to spill it or to eat it.
The most extensive use of blood is the sacrificial ritual. From the perspective of the priestly documents, the reason God seeks out the spilling of blood is because blood causes pollution. Since God will only abide in an area of holiness, the pollution caused by the spilling of blood must be cleansed, and blood is the cleansing agent. As a result, the blood of the sacrifice is collected and sprinkled as an act of atonement. For Ramban, it is our blood that must be spilled to bring expiation, as we see in Genesis 9:6. God has allowed us to substitute an animal. Prior to the sacrifice, hands are placed on the head of the animal. For Ramban, the mystic, this is a magical transference of self. The blood of the animal is now our blood.
I am not sure that we as enlightened, 21st century thinkers, can accept the 13th Century mysticism of Ramban. The mystery of blood still remains. Will we ever be able to create artificial blood, which will relieve me of the need to donate? I personally doubt it. As Ramban pointed out, the essence of life is in the blood. I don't think we will be able to create life. The Earth, on the other hand, could. How this happens is a topic for another time.
To end on what I hope is seen as a humorous note, I like to joke that the real reason I donate blood is so that an anti-Semite might be the recipient of my blood, and will now have to hate himself for having Jewish blood. I will never know, though, if I have succeeded.
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