What did the ancient Hebrews offer for sacrifices?

Answer 1

Exod.29 [1] Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, [11] And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
[12] And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
[13] And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.
Answer:
One of the topics in the Torah (Leviticus ch.1-8) is that of sacrifices. Since the Holy Temple doesn't exist today, we don't now offer sacrifices. In earlier times, sacrifices were one of the ways of serving God; a type of manifest prayer. They consisted of bullocks, goats, sheep, rams, turtle-doves, or fine flour, accompanied by an offering of oil and of wine (see Numbers ch.15). Some offerings were obligatory and some were voluntary; some were for the individual and some were for the public. There was one offering which was intended to provide merit for the non-Jewish nations as well.
Some of the ideas included in the sacrifices are: gratitude (the Shelamim-offering, Leviticus ch.3), dedication to God (the Olah-offering, Leviticus ch.1), celebration (the Hagigah-offering during Festivals), atonement (the sin-offerings, Leviticus ch.4-5), and public worship (the offerings in Numbers ch.28-9).
Our traditions teach that as long as the sacrifices were offered in the Temple, the world was blessed (Talmud, Ketubot 10b) and atoned for (Sukkah 55b).
Some people have a misconception that the Prophets were not in favor of sacrifices. This is a mistake. The same Prophet Samuel who said that obedience is more important than offerings (1 Samuel ch.15), himself offered up sacrifices to God (1 Samuel ch.13).

Answer 2

Goats, cattle, sheep (Leviticus ch.3); turtle-doves (Leviticus ch.1); and fine flour (Leviticus ch.2). The flour was usually wheat, but a couple of sacrifices called for barley flour. Some flour-offerings were baked or cooked beforehand; others were not.

Together with the above, wine, salt and oil accompanied the sacrifices (Leviticus ch.2; Numbers ch.15).

Answer 3

Ancient Jewish sacrifices and offerings would consist of domestic animals such as goats, sheep, cattle, and turtle-doves. Other offerings consisted of flour, wine, and meal.

Answer:

One of the topics in the Torah (Leviticus ch.1-8) is that of sacrifices. Since the Holy Temple doesn't exist today, we don't now offer sacrifices. In earlier times, sacrifices were one of the ways of serving God; a type of manifest prayer. They consisted of bullocks, goats, sheep, rams, turtle-doves, or fine flour, accompanied by an offering of oil and of wine (see Numbers ch.15).

Some of the ideas included in the sacrifices are: gratitude (the Shelamim-offering, Leviticus ch.3), dedication to God (the Olah-offering, Leviticus ch.1), celebration (the Hagigah-offering during Festivals), atonement (the sin-offerings, Leviticus ch.4-5), and public worship (the offerings in Numbers ch.28-9).

Our traditions teach that as long as the sacrifices were offered in the Temple, the world was blessed (Talmud, Ketubot 10b) and atoned for (Sukkah 55b).

Some people have a misconception that the Prophets were not in favor of sacrifices. This is a mistake. What the Prophets meant was that repentance and obedience to God are essential; they should accompany the sacrifices and cannot be replaced by the sacrifices (or anything else). Thus the same Prophet Samuel who said that obedience is more important than offerings (1 Samuel ch.15), himself offered up sacrifices to God (1 Samuel ch.13). This ideal of offerings together with repentance is explained in the Talmud as well (Berakhot 23a). The Talmud adds that, similar to the offerings, Torah-study and repentance also must go hand in hand (Berakhot 17a).

Another misconception is that Judaism changed after the Temple's destruction, as it turned from a sacrifice-centered religion to a focus on prayer. It should be pointed out that Jews alwaysworshiped in synagogues, even when the Holy Temple stood. Even within the Temple premises, there were several synagogues. During the Second Temple era, ancient Greek authors attest to the large synagogues that stood in all the countries where Jews lived. The Dioploston in Alexandria, for example, was famous for its size (Talmud, Tosefta Sukkah 4:6). In First Temple times also, synagogues served the same function that they do today (Talmud, Megillah 26b and Berakhot 31a).

Answer 4

One of the topics in the Torah (Leviticus ch.1-8) is that of sacrifices. Since the Holy Temple doesn't exist today, we don't now offer sacrifices. In earlier times, sacrifices were one of the ways of serving God; a type of manifest prayer. They consisted of bullocks, goats, sheep, rams, turtle-doves, or fine flour, accompanied by an offering of oil and of wine (see Numbers ch.15).Some offerings were obligatory and some were voluntary; some were for the individual and some were for the public. There was one set of offerings which was intended to provide merit for the non-Jewish nations as well.

Some of the ideas included in the sacrifices are:

• gratitude (the Shelamim-offering, Leviticus ch.3),
  
• dedication to God (the Olah-offering, Leviticus ch.1),
  
• celebration (the Hagigah-offering during Festivals),
  
• atonement (the sin-offerings, Leviticus ch.4-5),
  
• public worship (the offerings in Numbers ch.28-29).
  

Our traditions teach that as long as the sacrifices were offered in the Temple, the world was blessed (Talmud, Ketubot 10b) and atoned for (Sukkah 55b).

Note:
Some people have a misconception that the Prophets were not in favor of sacrifices. This is a mistake. The same Prophet Samuel who said that obedience is more important than offerings (1 Samuel ch.15), himself offered up sacrifices to God (1 Samuel ch.13).
What the Prophets meant was that repentance and obedience to God are essential; they should accompany the sacrifices and cannot be replaced by the sacrifices (or anything else). All of the offerings are intended to be part of a process of drawing near to God. This ideal of offerings together with repentance is explained in the Talmud as well (Berakhot 23a). The Talmud adds that, similar to the offerings, Torah-study also needs to be accompanied by repentance (Berakhot 17a).

Another misconception is that Judaism changed after the Temple's destruction, and "turned from a sacrifice-centered religion" to one of prayer. This too is a mistake. Jews always worshiped in synagogues, even when the Holy Temple stood. Within the Temple premises itself, there were several synagogues. During the Second Temple era, ancient Greek authors attest to the large synagogues that stood in all the countries where Jews lived. The Dioploston in Alexandria, for example, was famous for its size (Talmud, Tosefta Sukkah 4:6). In First Temple times also, synagogues served the same function that they do today (Talmud, Megillah 26b and Berakhot 31a).

See also the Related Links.

Link: Why was the Temple destroyed?

Link: How has Judaism changed?

Answer 5

Sacrifice can only be offered at the Temple. When we are without the Temple, prayer replaces sacrifice as specified in the Torah.

Answer 6

The Israelites slaughtered the sacrifices with a knife.

See also:

Israelite sacrifices