Korban

For other uses, see Korban (name).
Not to be confused with Qurban, a cognate word that refers to animal sacrifice in Islam.
Not to be confused with Karbon.
"Karban" redirects here. For the village in Iran, see Karband.

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In Judaism, the korban (קָרְבָּן‎, qorbān), also spelled qorban or corban, is any of a variety of sacrificial offerings described and commanded in the Torah. The plural form is korbanot, korbanoth, or korbanos.

The term korban primarily refers to sacrificial offerings given from humans to God for the purpose of doing homage, winning favor, or securing pardon.[1] The object sacrificed was usually an animal that was ritually slaughtered and then transferred from the human to the divine realm by being burned on an altar.[2][3][4] Other sacrifices include grain offerings made of flour and oil, not meat.[5]

After the destruction of the Second Temple, sacrifices were prohibited because there was no longer a Temple, the only place allowed by halakha for sacrifices. Offering of sacrifices was briefly reinstated during the Jewish–Roman wars of the second century CE.[6][7]

When sacrifices were offered in ancient times, they were offered as a fulfillment of Biblical commandments. According to Orthodox Judaism, the coming of the messiah will not remove the requirement to keep the 613 commandments, and when the Temple is rebuilt, sacrifices will be offered again.[8]

While some korbanot were offered as part of the atonement process for sin, this role was strictly limited, and in Judaism atonement can be achieved through means such as repentance even without sacrifices.[9]

  1. ^ Hirsch, Emil G.; Kohler, Kaufmann; Seligsohn, M.; Singer, Isidore; Lauterbach, Jacob Zallel; Jacobs, Joseph (1906). "Sacrifice". Jewish Encyclopedia.
  2. ^ Halbertal, Moshe (2012). On sacrifice (PDF). Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 1. ISBN 9780691163307.
  3. ^ Gilders, William K. (2010). "Sacrifice". Obo in Biblical Studies. doi:10.1093/obo/9780195393361-0109.
  4. ^ "Sacrifice in Judaism". www2.kenyon.edu.
  5. ^ cf. Leviticus 6:7–11
  6. ^ Rich, Tracey R. (1998–2011). "Qorbanot: Sacrifices and Offerings". Judaism 101. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  7. ^ Straight Dope Science Advisory Board (17 April 2003). "Why do Jews no longer sacrifice animals?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  8. ^ Jenson, Robert W.; Korn, Eugene (2012). Covenant and Hope: Christian and Jewish Reflections. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8028-6704-9.
  9. ^ Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance 1:3-8