History of Sacrifices
Sacrifices have long been part of Jewish—and human—history. The Bible records that
Cain and Abel, sons of
Adam and Eve, brought sacrifices to G‑d: Cain from the fruits of the ground, and Abel from the choicest of his sheep.
1 Noah sacrificed animals and birds to
G‑d upon leaving the Ark after the Great Flood.
2 At the
Binding of Isaac,
Abraham brought a ram as a burnt offering in place of his son.
3
During the 40 years of wandering in the desert (1313–1273 BCE), sacrifices were a mainstay of the
Mishkan that accompanied the Jews during their journeys. Sacrifices continued to be brought once the Jews arrived in the
Land of Israel, first in the Mishkan (which stood in Gilgal for 14 years, until 1259 BCE), then in the
Tabernacle at Shiloh (for the 369 years of its existence—1259–891 BCE), and then in the First and Second
Holy Temples in
Jerusalem (which stood for 410 and 420 years respectively—833–423 BCE; 353 BCE–69 CE).
Other types of private obligatory sacrifices include the Paschal lamb, the firstborn offering, the tithe and the sacrifices brought by a
nazir (nazirite).
14
Links:
Paschal sacrifice: Exodus 12. Numbers 9.
Maimonides, Korban Pesach.
Firstborn offering: Exodus 13.
Maimonides, Bechorot 1.
Tithe:
Leviticus 27:32–33.
Maimonides, Bechorot 6.
Sacrifices of a
nazir: Numbers 6.
Maimonides, Nezirut 8.
ibid
Why Sacrifice?
The sacrificial service was not primarily about the physical act of slaughtering an animal; it was principally a spiritual service. On a basic level, if the sacrifice was being brought to atone for some inadvertent sin, one had to feel remorse over what had happened.
21 To assist in reaching true
repentance, he would bear in mind that what was being done to the animal essentially should have occurred to him.
22
Another way of understanding sacrifices is that the animal one brings as an offering to G‑d is symbolic of our own
inner animal, our instincts and primal desires that we must bring into alignment with G‑d’s will. We surrender that part of us to G‑d and make it submissive to Him, so that it too may seek to do His will.
23
From the perspective of
Kabbalah, the sacrifices were a way of elevating the matter and vitality of this world to a higher plane. In addition to elevating the various layers of the human soul, sacrifices in the Temple also elevated the actual animal being offered, thereby elevating the entire animal kingdom.
24
ibid
Some are taught not to challenge.