Beraishis 9D Prohibitions of Suicide and Murder

וְאַךְ אֶת דִּמְכֶם לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם אֶדְרֹשׁ מִיַּד כָּל חַיָּה אֶדְרְשֶׁנּוּ וּמִיַּד הָאָדָם מִיַּד אִישׁ אָחִיו אֶדְרֹשׁ אֶת נֶפֶשׁ הָאָדָם

But your blood which belongs to your souls I will demand; I will demand it of every animal. But from the hand of man, from the hand of a being that is his brother, I will demand the soul of a man.

שֹׁפֵךְ דַּם הָאָדָם בָּאָדָם דָּמוֹ יִשָּׁפֵךְ כִּי בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹקים עָשָׂה אֶת הָאָדָם

Whoever sheds blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God He made man.
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In the previous post (verse 9:4) we learned that while an animal is alive its blood is בנפש, subservient to the animal soul. There is an organic connection between the animal’s blood and its soul. The animal soul, together with its body is formed from the earth. The prohibition of אבר מן החי taught that it is not befitting a human to eat and thereby assimilate any connection to an animal soul into itself, because an animal is rooted in the physical.

There is a difference between the soul of an animal and the soul of a human. The animal’s body, blood and soul belong to humans. The human body, blood and soul belong to God.

These verses teach the prohibition of suicide and murder.

Suicide

We have no right to commit suicide. Human blood and souls are not ours. The human soul is not part of the physical realm. His blood, ie. his life, is subservient to that soul. A person’s own blood and soul belong to God. God denies man the right to be master over his own blood. If he takes his own life he will be held accountable.

Murder

Every person is “אדם” “Adam”, a representative of God on earth (see the post on the creation of אדם). He should understand this about himself and about all other humans. It must be understood that every other person is his brother. Human relationships are not body to body but soul to soul. We must recognize the spirit that God breathed into every person and respect and preserve each נפש. We have no right to cause harm to other humans. We certainly have no right to take their life.

Beraishis 9:5-6
pages 226-228