Hi Brain!
I don’t care for the mistranslation “sacrifice” for the Hebrew word
korban, which actually is a cognate of a root meaning “to approach” or “to draw near/close to”) Because there is no Temple (and for other reasons as well), the order of offerings (as well as other Torah precepts which are dependent on the Temple & a fully functioning Aaronic priesthood, such as accepting tithes, administering the bitter waters to a suspected adultress, 7th and Jubilee years, etc. etc.) are also temporarily suspended :crying: .
The order of offerings on a regular basis ceased in CE 70, when the Romans destroyed the Second Temple. It was briefly reinstituted during the Bar Kokhba revolt against Rome (in CE 132-135, see
us-israel.org/jsource/biography/Kokhba.html ). There are vague hints that it may have been reinstituted for an even shorter period during the brief reign of the Roman Emperor Julian (“the Apostate”) in CE 361-363 (see
jewishencyclopedia.com/v…J&search=Julian). It probably was reinstituted for a short time after CE 614, when the Sassanid Persians captured Jerusalem from the Byzantines & turned the city over to us. But this interlude came to an end when the Byzantines retook the city a few years later. Since then, nada. :crying:
The order of Temple offerings was merely one part of the process whereby a Jew could repent of his/her sins; by itself, isolated, bringing an offering was insufficient. Since the order of offerings is, as I’ve said, temporarily suspended, we must rely, for the time being, on the other steps of the process.
What are the other steps of the process? Hosea 14:2-3 (read in synagogue on the Sabbath between Rosh Hashannah
jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm and Yom Kippur
jewfaq.org/holiday4.htm) says:
Return, O Israel, unto the Lord your God; for you have stumbled in your iniquity. Take with you words, and return unto the Lord; say unto Him: 'Forgive all iniquity, and accept that which is good; so will we render for bullocks the offering of our lips.
From this & other verses, we learn that the repentant sinner must understand, confess & acknowledge his sin (before God), promise not to do it again & then actually not do it again. This is basically it. A
korban that was unaccompanied by a contrite heart, sincere confession, etc. was less than useless. Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Hacohen Kook (
us-israel.org/jsource/biography/Rav_Kook.html) taught that, “The most significant part of the sacrifice was never meant to be the savoury smell of the burning meat, but the trembling sincerity of the human heart.”
There were other kinds of offerings, other than those of a penitent/repentant sinner. See
jewfaq.org/qorbanot.htm for a very good read on the whole issue of
korbanot.
If you have any more questions, ask away & I’ll do my best.
Be well!
ssv
.