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Life Before The Printed Word
‘A Revi’is Of Blood’
(Yevamos 114a-b)

 

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The Torah forbids the drinking of blood: “All blood shall you not eat, in all of your dwelling places, whether the [blood of] fowl, or the [blood] of beasts” (Vayikra 7:26). A person who drinks blood that spurts out when an animal is slaughtered or its blood is let receives kareis. A person who drinks any other blood receives malkus.

Even drinking the tiniest amount of blood is forbidden. But there is a minimum amount a person must drink in order to receives malkus or kareis.

 

K’zayis or Revi’is

Normally the amount of forbidden food one must eat to be punished is a k’zayis, and the amount of forbidden liquids one must drink is a revi’is (one quarter of a lug). Our Gemara states that a person is punished for drinking a revi’is of blood. However, in numerous other places the Gemara states that the minimum shiur is a k’zayis, not a revi’is (Chullin 87b, Krisos 14a, 22a; see Rashi on Eiruvin 4a, Pesachim 44a, Sukka 6a and Rambam, Ma’achalos Asuros 6:1).

The Heart And Its Blood

Generally, the Rashash offers succinct, one-line comments to the Gemara. Concerning this issue, however (whether the shiur is a kezayis or a revi’is), he writes at great length in an attempt to resolve the contradiction in the Gemara. He suggests that perhaps our Gemara refers to drinking blood directly. Elsewhere, the Gemara refers to eating a heart with blood in it.

 

Rishonim

It is interesting to note that none of the Rishonim take notice of this conspicuous contradiction in the Gemara. In fact, in summarizing our sugya, the Meiri writes that one is punished for drinking a k’zayis of blood. He seems to follow the ruling set forth in other sugyos, entirely ignoring our sugya.

Manuscripts As Evidence

This mystery is neatly resolved when we realize that in all manuscript editions of the Talmud, the word “k’zayis” appears in our sugya in place of the word “revi’is.” It seems that the printer simply made a mistake the first time the Gemara was published, with the mistake surviving until today. The Rishonim, however, only knew of manuscript editions of the Talmud and therefore never saw any contradiction (see Beis Va’ad 1: pp. 58-59).

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RABBI YAAKOV KLASS, rav of Congregation K’hal Bnei Matisyahu in Flatbush, Brooklyn, is Torah Editor of The Jewish Press. He can be contacted at [email protected]. RABBI GERSHON TANNENBAUM, rav of Congregation Bnai Israel of Linden Heights, Boro Park, Brooklyn, is the Director of Igud HaRabbanim – The Rabbinical Alliance of America.