Judaism + Blood Donation

I think no human being can give more than this.
Making life possible for the other, if only for a moment.
—Martin Buber

The human body is a gift from God, on loan from him. And so we are to care for it, just as we are to care for the bodies of fellow humans. There are innumerable ways this responsibility plays out in our day-to-day lives, but one of clearest ways we can care for another is by “making life possible,” by donating live-saving blood.

In a discussion of blood donation, the Central Conference of American Rabbis writes the following: “Clearly there is no problem with simply donating blood. We might go even a step further and state that it is our duty to help a fellow human being through donating blood. This should be encouraged. Tradition has stated that we should not stand idly by while our neighbor is harmed (Lev. 19.16; San. 73a; Shulhan Arukh Hoshen Mishpat 426). Helping a person is, therefore, a duty whether it involves physical effort or a gift” [source].

Indeed, blood donation falls into one of the highest forms of charity, according to Maimonides’ Eight Levels of Charity (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Charity, 10:7–14). When we donate blood, we do so without knowing the identity of the recipient. We are saying in effect that we affirm the goodness of human life everywhere and in all conditions. And because we give anonymously, we receive no reward. It is a pure gift. A pure act of love.

And so we can say without reservation that blood donation is a mitzvah! Join the movement of those who advocate for the love of neighbor, not only through words, but in life-preserving action.