ProfBenTziyyon
in the Hebrew language, the verb that is used for "making" a b'rit is ???, which literally means "to cut". In English you "make" or "sign" an agreement or a treaty - in Hebrew you "cut" one.
avivai wrote:
could you make your case even stronger by showing where in tanach there were covenants (בריתות) made dafka between Hashem and jewish individuals or the jewish nation where blood was not part of the 'deal'?
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ProfBenTziyyon
That's exactly what I did show in the opening post of this thread; בְּרִיתוֹת (b'ritot) between Jews (either individually or collectively) and God are no different to those between one Jew and another - the same rules apply to both.
The examples in the opening post of ProfBenTziyyon are treaties between people, one person and the other. ProfBenTziyyon says there is "no
difference" between a covenant between Jews and God and between one Jew and another.
A covenant/treaty between God and (a) man seems to be different (from that of one man and another) specificly in that there is mentioning of death or
'blood', that is: the breaking of the divine covenant is to be payed for by one's death, by one's blood/life. Covenants between men may be made
without blood (without death penalty) or with blood (with death penalty), but a covenant between God and man is not without death penalty (= not without
blood).
It is clear that there are all kinds of treaties, with different kind of 'rituals' or expressions of confirmation and committment. A modern way of doing is to sign a treaty with a signature, as leaders of the world often do (agreements between countries) and eating/drinking together (a kind of covenantal meal) to express the communion and the agreement between the parties.
In ancient times one of the covenant rituals was the cutting of animals and passing through the parts. Blood in general is not necessary, but when it is a
part of the ritual of the treaty then it signifies the importance of the treaty by its meaning:
breaking this covenant is paying with your life.
For example by being cut in pieces like the divided animals of the covenantal ritual, (compare Gen.15 and Jer.34:18,19; 1Sam.11:7).
Being cut in pieces seems to have been a relatively normal punishment in those ancient days (in some cases the breaking of the covenant and the death peanlty was taken very literally):
1Sam. 15:33 And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
1Chr. 20:3 And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon.
Ezech. 23:47 And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters,
Dan. 2:5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if you will not make known to me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. (also: Dan. 3:29)
The breaking of the covenants in the history of God with mankind has the penalty of death, c.q. it will cost you your life, your blood:
Adam: Gen.2:17
Noah: Gen.9:5
Abram: Gen.15:10
Moses: Ex.24:6-8
In covenantal relation to God 'blood' is crucial; this is apparent from the major covenants God made with mankind throughout history beginning with
Adam; and of course this will be the case for the new covenant (Jer.31:31), wouldn't you think so? 
Aad
-sp
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-l
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