Sunday 18 September 2016

halacha - Is autocannibalism halachically prohibited?


I was wondering if sucking your own blood or biting at your own scab or otherwise consuming yourself was halachically permissible, since, as far as I can tell, humans are not kosher. Even so, it would seem that autocannibalism in some form or another is basically unavoidable and I have never heard of it being prohibited.




Answer



Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 66:10 (from Kerisus 21b) states:


"Human blood, if it is separated from his body, is forbidden because of appearances (maris ayin). Thus, if one bit into a piece of bread and blood came out from his gums onto it, he must scrape that portion off. On the other hand, if it is still between one's teeth, he may suck it out."


Rashi to Kerisus there explains that the essential distinction isn't really between whether the blood is visible to others (as on the bread) or not (as in the gums), but just whether it is separated from its place of origin. So it sounds like sucking any kind of wound would be okay under the laws of kashrus, although there might be the consideration of "bal teshaktzu" - not eating disgusting things (Yoreh De'ah 116:6).


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