When the Beis Hamikdash is restored, sacrifices are supposed to resume. But why? For centuries now we have been taught that the offerings of our lips replace bullocks. For what reason does korbonot need to resume?
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there are many korbanot that have nothing to do with repentance– rosendsJul 29, 2019 at 17:54
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6This is like asking why people don't want to be raped even though they don't get punished for it, as the verse says ולנערה לא תעשה דבר אין לנערה חטא מות. We don't bring offerings now because we are אנוסים forced against our will and God gracefully forgives us anyway. Of course we want to do things the right way and God won't accept half baked practices if we can do the right thing.– Double AA ♦Jul 29, 2019 at 18:12
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Sourcing the two assertions would make this question more compelling.– AlexJul 29, 2019 at 18:18
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The recital of the offering is called מעשה קטנה, literally a 'small action' because our lips move. But קטנות also has a connotation of undeveloped or immature. Think in terms of other mitzvot where a 'Katan', a child can be permitted to do something if they know what they are doing it for, etc. But it is always preferred for the adult to fulfill, if available.– Yaacov DeaneJul 29, 2019 at 19:02
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If they could assemble and move the safety sarcophagus onto the Chernobyl reactor remains, surely we could figure out a way to safely truck transport the object in the way back to Mecca. And who knows? Maybe the folks that can't seem to live without it there will follow behind it in a long long line. Speedily in our days.– GaryJul 29, 2019 at 21:25
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1 Answer
G-d neither needs nor wants sacrifices, and only allowed it because people in ancient times felt differently. It is a concession to human needs. The Rambam also states that this is not only his view but is the view of the prophets.
We can add that the ancient rabbis around 70 CE when the temple was destroyed also felt that sacrifices were unnecessary. Therefore when the temple was destroyed, they did not seek a way to continue sacrifices. It would have been easy for them to do so if they felt it was necessary.
Of course, as is to be expected, many rabbis disagreed. We still have many references in the siddur praying for the restoration of sacrifices. But the siddur is a compendium of many often conflicting ideas, which prompt us to think and to remember the past. Abravanel agrees with Maimonides and cites a Midrash.
Additionally Rabbi Kook and the Midrash states that grain will be offered in the Third Temple.
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1You forgot to mention that Rambam explicitly says that no mitzvah can ever change, and lists multiple mitzvos related to offerings...– HeshyJul 29, 2019 at 20:33
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1Okay, but G-d clearly did say to bring offerings. There's no way around that. It's the entire beginning of Vayikra, among other places. Probably the simplest explanation is what Radak and Malbim say, that offerings aren't the primary purpose.– HeshyJul 30, 2019 at 0:16
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1And the Mishneh Torah reads "Bring them" in a whole lot more words than that. We can keep quoting things at each other or we can try to resolve the apparent contradiction.– HeshyJul 30, 2019 at 0:20
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2And see Mishneh Torah where he goes on at great length about the requirement to bring sacrifices.– HeshyJul 30, 2019 at 0:55
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1Both Rabbi Kook and the Midrash say that grain and prayer will replace the sacrifices. Jul 30, 2019 at 1:08