Day 29: Blood HAS to Flow

As I have read more parts of the Bible that talk about blood-guilt and blood vengeance and the like, it seems clear that the only way to make things right after a violation is the shedding of blood. It seems like the most serious violations only could be made right by a claim on the blood of the violator(s). But sometimes, especially for unintentional violations, there was a (sort of) Plan B. Sometimes an animal could take on the blood-guilt, so if the animal died, that blood-shed was a substitute for the violators.

A commentator, Rabbi Moshe New, in an audio lecture about the system of sacrifices in Leviticus says these things:

As the animal was slaughtered and burned, the person who brought the animal was supposed to think this: "Whatever is happening to the animal right now, should be happening to me!" If the person is thinking about that, it will move them to make a change in their life. You can't transfer your sins to an animal, watch it die and burn up, and walk away unmoved!

When the animal's blood flowed into the ground, the claim on the violator's blood was given up. Another way to say that "the claim on my blood is given up" is to say, "I am forgiven."

Sometimes when I think of the word or concept of forgiveness, I think of it more as an overlooking of a violation. But in reality, "No big deal" or "That's ok" or "Whatever" or "It's all good" are not responses of forgiveness when something really wrong happens. Forgiveness still demands bloodshed, it just lets the claim on the violator's blood be transferred to the blood of an innocent animal sacrifice. Blood HAS to flow, otherwise the damage, or injustice, or injury, or dead victim will be seen as inconsequential, no big deal, part of a reality where nothing really matters.