Question:
Hello, I was outside and, due to the mask, there was some “drippage” from my nose that went on my lips and into my mouth. When I got home and blew my nose, I saw some blood. I have no way of knowing if some of the blood went into my mouth but if so, would this have been a problem if I swallowed some unknowingly? If so, what do I do?
Answer:
Thank you for your question.
You don’t have to be too nervous about what happened. Although there is a prohibition for us to ingest some of our own blood, the reason for it is not because it is really prohibited, rather because it appears to look like we ate blood. Therefore, blood that has not separated from our body yet, i.e. a person that has bleeding gums, may ingest that blood, and there is no issue with it. Regarding your question, you don’t even know if there was even any blood in what went into your mouth. Aside from this the Shulchan Aruch compares human blood to the blood of a fish, and the Rema writes that if it is evident from the blood that it is from a fish, then it doesn’t look like prohibited blood and permitted. In your instance, even if there would have been blood in what you ingested, it would be evident that it is from a human and permitted. Therefore, there is no reason for concern.
Best wishes
Sources:
Shulchan Aruch Y:D 67-10
