Sefer HaChinuch ספר החינוך

To not eat a limb from the living: That we were prevented that we not eat a limb from the living — meaning to say, a limb that we cut from an animal when it is still alive. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 12:23), “and you shall not eat the soul with the meat.” And so they did they say, “‘And you shall not eat the soul with the meat’ — that is a limb from the living.” And we say in Tractate Chullin 102b, “One who ate a limb from the living and meat from the living is lashed twice” — since there are two negative commandments about it: the one which we mentioned; and the second [is] “and flesh torn in the field shall you not eat” (Exodus 22:30), which is a negative commandment about the one that eats meat from the living, as I have written in the commandment not to eat a “torn” animal (Sefer HaChinukh 73). And the warning for the limb from the living was repeated in another place in Parashat Noach, as it is stated (Genesis 9:4), “But meat with the soul, its blood, you shall not eat.”

It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] in order that we not train ourselves in the trait of cruelty, which is a most disgusting trait. And in truth, there is no greater cruelty in the world than the one who cuts a limb or meat from an animal while it is still alive in front of him and eats it. And I have already written many times [about] the great benefit that comes to us in our acquisition of the good traits and [when] we distance ourselves from the bad traits, as the good will cling to the good. And the good God wants to do good, and hence He commanded us to choose the good. And this is my approach to most of the commandments, according to the angle of their simple understanding.

From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Chullin 101b) that the prohibition of the limb from the living is [applicable to] a [domesticated] beast, a [wild] animal and a bird that are pure, but not to impure ones. And [also] that which they said (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Forbidden Foods 5:3, 4) that the prohibition is one; whether it is a limb that has meat, tendons and bones — such as a hand or a foot — or a limb that has no bone — like the tongue, the testicles, the spleen, the kidneys, the heart and similar to them. However the limb that has no bone is forbidden because of a limb from the living, whether it is all cut off, or whether part of it is cut off. But a limb that has a bone is not liable on account of a limb from a living animal, until it is separated like its formation — meat, tendons and bones. But if he separated meat from the living, he is liable for a “torn” animal, as we elucidated, and not on account of a limb from the living. One who eats a kazayit from a limb from the living is lashed for it. And even if he ate a complete limb, [only] if there is a kazayit in it is he liable. [But if there is] less than a kazayit, he is exempted. If he cut a kazayit from the limb according to its formation — meat, tendons and bones — and he ate it, he is lashed, even though there is only the smallest amount of meat upon it. However, if he divided the limb after he detached it and separated the meat from the tendons and from the bones, he is only lashed if there is a kazayit from the meat by itself — and the bones and the tendons do not join with it [to make up] a kazayit, since he has changed it from its formation.

If he divided this limb and ate it a little at a time, if there is a kazayit in what he ate, he is liable; and, if not, he is exempted (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Forbidden Foods 5:4). If he took a kazayit from the limb according to its formation — meat, tendons and bones — and he ate it, he is liable, even though it divided in his mouth before he swallowed it, as that is the way of eating. If he detached the limb from the living and [the animal] became “torn” in his taking it, and he ate it, he is liable on two [counts], because of a limb from the living and because of a “torn” animal — as behold, both prohibitions come together (at the same time). And so [too,] one who detached forbidden fat (chelev) from the living and ate it, is liable for two. If he detached forbidden fat from a “torn” animal, he is lashed [for] three [separate sins]. Flesh that is dangling [from] a beast and a limb dangling [from] it is forbidden if it cannot come back to life — even though it did not separate, but rather was [connected to the animal when it was] slaughtered. But we do not administer lashes for it. And if the beast died, we see it as if it fell while [it was] alive. Therefore, we administer lashes on account of a limb from the living. However if it could come back to life — behold, it is permitted, if the beast is slaughtered. If the limb from the living was dislocated or one crushed it or ground it — such as if one crushed the testicles or severed them — behold, it is not forbidden from Torah writ; as behold, it has a little life. And therefore it does not stench. But nonetheless it is forbidden to eat it due to the custom practiced by Israel from antiquity; as behold, it is similar to life from the living. If the flesh covers most of a broken bone and most of the circumference of the break, behold it is permissible. But if the bone came outside, behold it is forbidden; and when the beast or bird is slaughtered, he should cut off the limb and a bit from the place of the break and throw it out — and the rest is permitted. If the bone was broken, [even when] the flesh covers most of it — if that flesh was pulverized since it decayed, like the flesh that a physician would scrape off; the flesh that was on it was [full of] holes; the flesh was cracked, or it was scraped like a type of ring; the flesh on top was scraped to the point where only like a peel remained on the flesh; or the flesh was decayed below from all of the bone to the point that the flesh that covers the bone is not touching the bone — in all of these [cases], we instruct to forbid until the flesh is healed. And if he ate from any of these, we administer lashes of rebellion upon him. One who extends his hand into the innards of the beast, cuts off from the spleen, from the kidneys and similar to them, and left the pieces in its innards, and [then] slaughtered it afterwards — behold those pieces are forbidden on account of a limb from the living, even though it is within its innards. But if he cut off from the embryo in its innards and did not remove it and slaughtered it afterwards — behold the pieces of the embryo are permitted, since it did not go outside.

And this prohibition is practiced in every place and at all times by males and females. And one who transgresses it and ate a limb from the living or a kazayit of it in the manner that we mentioned is liable for lashes. And this is one of the seven commandments that are upon all people of the world more generally. But there is nonetheless a difference in the details of the commandment between Israel and the rest of the nations. And it is all as I have written in the Order of Vayishma Yitro (Sefer HaChinukh 26). And it appears that the obligation for the rest of the nations with a limb from the living is whether with pure [animals] or whether with impure [animals]. And so did the elder instruct. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings and Wars 9:13.)