Why don't Jews offer sacrifices?

Question

Even though the Temple was destroyed, the Israelites offered sacrifices for countless generations before it was built. Look at Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they all offered sacrifices without the Temple; so did all the Judges, Samuel, Saul, and David. If David, the great king, didn't need one big central Temple, why do modern Jews? Didn't that Temple represent a monopolization of piety by the priestly caste?

Answer 1

They will start again in the Great Tribulation... They are preparing to rebuild the temple

Answer 2

Simple answer:



Before the Temple was built Jewish people did indeed sacrifice animals on makeshift altars, usually a pile of rocks. These types of sacrifices were almost exclusively done out of praise to God, rather than for atonement of sin. After the Jewish people were enslaved in Engypt and subsequently delivered by Moses, God gave the Jewish people the plans to make a Temple from which all "official" sacrifices would be made from then on. There was no need to sacrifice apart from that Temple, since that is where the ark of the covenant was, which was a physical representation of God's presence.



All the prophets and judges before the Temple was built sacrificed animals on altars they built themselves because there was no central place to offer such a form of worship.



The Temple was also the one and only place that God decreed that all Jewish people (as well as non-Jewish) could go to sacrifice an animal for the forgiveness of sins.



After the Temple was destroyed (the second time in 70 AD) there was no place to offer up an official sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins anymore. But in the Old Testament God promised (as He did with the second Temple) that one day He will build up a Third Temple which will not be destroyed again. Until then no Jew believes that there is any merit in sacrificing animals by themselves apart from the Temple because they believe God will not recognize it. Interesting to note though that there are certain ultra-orthodox Jews that do still offer up sacrifices on the day of Atonement. Though far limited from the original sacrifices they sacrfice a chicken as a way to prepare for the day when God will restore their central place of worship.



I'm not sure about your question on the Temple being some kind of monopoly. It was God's plan to create the Temple and unify His people.



And as to your question of Abraham's lineage, no, he was not a Levite. If anything he was the ancestor of the Levites, indeed, the ancestor to all of the tribes of Israel.



I hope this answered your question and helps.

Answer 3

In 66 AD, the Jewish War ended with the destruction of Jerusalem including King Solomon's rebuilt temple. Unlike the first destruction where the Jews were exiled, this second destruction included the infrastructure. The Jews no longer had a central government or hope that their would return to their homeland. The temple represented a centralization of all religious sites, and once destroy, Judaism change to the present rabbinic form.



Nineteen centuries later, the state of Israel (a Jewish state) exists; however, the temple site is now a Mosque (third holiest shine in Islam). Judaism does not allow destroying a religious shine, even to build its own instead.



When the Solomon's temple was destroyed, no more sacrificial offerings were made. King David centered Jewish worship to Jerusalem, and his son Solomon built the temple.



The roles of priest and Levi's can be found in Book of Leviticus. It is not a monopolization of piety, it is how the religious life is divided according to the Torah (enlighten teaching or Law).



Bottom line: Modern Jews believe in observing the commandments, all 613. Those that require a temple are not observed, but they are still on the books.

Answer 4

The Jews of modern times stopped actual sacrifices but still do traditions which symbolize the sacrifices. I am sure it has a lot to do with changes of our society. Many Rabbis in the world get together to set up rules and regulations, and Judiasm is probably the one religion with the least deviations from the original Jews. They all still follow the Torah, (five books of Moses, and first five books in the bible), still observe the Sabbath, and only minor differences are found from one Temple to the other.



The world is much larger now and people spread out. I do not think it would be possible to have one main temple, it is easier to spread out to reach the people.



Talk show host, Dennis Prager is a wonderful person to listen to, and very knowledgeable about these things. You might want to contact him, he has a web site. Be well.

Answer 5

Your question comprises of several parts- heres a quick answer in generalities:



1)They need control of the Holiest of Holies- not gonna happen with the Dome of the Rock Mosque at its current location. Book of Revelation says that the new Temple will however be built next to where the Mosque is located.



2)They (Isreal's gov't) is quietly archologically excavating all of the orginal items from the Temple using a copper scroll- they've managed to find roughly 3/4ths of the items



3)They need a "Red Heffer and its ashes" to restart the Temple worship- the Government is spending a LOT of money to develop using gene splicing/dna manlipulation to make a Red Heffer.



4)They need to come up with the Preistly Caste- once again, DNA is being used to trace who is from the tribe of Levi to be the new Preists.



These 4 things in a condensed form, is what they're trying for.

Answer 6

The Israelites learned early on (Abraham/Isaac) that human sacrifice was forbidden to God's chosen people. Other Gods demanded human sacrifice, but never the Israelite God. Leviticus specifies offerings of oil, grains, and little critters, but only the "aroma" was for God.



The Levites didn't inherit any land and, therefore, could not support themselves. The sacrifices themselves were meant for the Levites to consume.



Shalom

Answer 7

After the building of the temple, the Jews were to only offer sacrifices at the temple in Jerusalem, and nowhere else.



Cordially,

John

Answer 8

The Jews "Do" offer scrifices, almost every day.....!!!!!



Just look at all the Inocent Women and Children they

murder every day, not just Palastinian, and Lebanese,

they have also killed, Americans, English, French and

Swiss who were all in a Peace Convoy, carrying White

Flags.....!!!!



These are thier modern day Sacrifices.......

Answer 9

No Levites,.

After the burning of the great Library at Alexandria, the provable lineage of the Levites was forever lost.

Answer 10

Offers are not for temple it is for God. Can you stop following your religion just by a burning incident. Offering were started by the desire of God. How could some one stop.



Scarifies are to please God as it was first asked by God and Abraham was about to scarifies his son.



Muslim do offers animals in their annual Pilgrimage in Arabia.

Hindus to offer, same like Buddhists. Just nature of offers are different.



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Answer 11

Gd never said that one must offer a blood sacrifice to be forgiven of sin!



Christians believe that one needs a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, that one who does not have such a blood sacrifice will die in their sins, and go to hell, except for the sacrifice of Jesus.



This is UnBiblical. The Bible describes blood sacrifices for the forgiveness of sin in the Book of Leviticus. But it is in Leviticus itself, in the middle of the discussion of the sin sacrifices, that we are taught that we do not need a blood sacrifice to be forgiven for our sins. Offering a blood sacrifice was an expensive thing to do for the family offering the animal. Was forgiveness then, to be only for the rich? No, because if one could not afford a blood sacrifice then one who sins could bring flour, which has no blood and no life as their sacrifice, and Gd forgave them!



Leviticus 5:11-13; But if he be not able to

bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons,

then he that sinned shall bring for his

offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine

flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil

upon it, neither shall he put any

frankincense thereon: for it is a sin

offering.



Furthermore, read the Book of Jonah. In Jonah, the People of Ninevah do three things in order to be forgiven by Gd. They fast, they pray for forgiveness, and they stop doing the Bad and start doing the Good, and Gd forgave them! This is exactly what we do on Yom Kippur, we fast, we pray for forgiveness, and, hopefully, we stop doing the Bad and start doing the Good, and Gd forgives us. And what book do we read on Yom Kippur afternoon? The Book of Jonah!



Jonah 3:7-10 And he caused it to be proclaimed

and published through Ninevah, by the decree

of the King and his nobles, saying, Let

neither man nor beast, herd nor flock taste

anything; let them not feed nor drink water;

but let man and beast be covered with

sackcloth, and cry mightily unto Gd; yea, let

them turn every one from his evil way, and

from the violence that is in their hands. Who

can tell if Gd will turn and repent, and turn

away from his fierce anger that we perish not?

And Gd saw their works, that they turned from

their evil way; and Gd repented of the evil,

that he had said that he would do unto them;

and he did not do it.



Please notice that Jonah tells us that Gd saw their WORKS, their deeds, how they turned from their evil ways, and Gd forgave them. It does not say that Gd saw their blood sacrifice, they never offered one. It does not say that Gd forgave them because they had the right faith, but rather it says that Gd forgave them because of their deeds!



Furthermore, Where were the sacrifices to have taken place? In the Temple built by Solomon. And what did Solomon himself say at the dedication of this very Temple where these sacrifices were to take place?



1 Kings 8:46-50 If they sin against thee, (for

there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be

angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy,

so that they carry them away captives unto the

land of the enemy, far or near; Yet if they

shall bethink themselves in the land whither

they were carried captives, and repent, and make

supplication unto thee in the land of them that

carried them captives, saying, We have sinned,

and have done perversely, we have committed

wickedness; And so return unto thee with all

their heart, and with all their soul, in the

land of their enemies, which led them away

captive, and pray unto thee toward their land,

which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city

which thou hast chosen, and the house which I

have built for thy name: Then hear thou their

prayer and their supplication in heaven thy

dwelling place, and maintain their cause, And

forgive thy people that have sinned against

thee, and all their transgressions wherein they

have transgressed against thee, and give them

compassion before them who carried them captive,

that they may have compassion on them:



So, at the dedication of the very place where these totally Unnecessary sacrifices were to take place, Solomon tells us that all we have to do is Repent, Pray, Admit our sins, and stop doing the evil, and Gd forgives, and all with no blood sacrifice!!



The term 'messiah' means 'one annointed' to do a specific task or tasks by Gd. Jesus fulfilled not even one of these tasks, thats why Christians created the idea of a 2nd Coming, claiming Jesus would do what the Real Messiah will do the first time around.