B'nei Noach Permitted to bring Korbanos?

Question

B''H

Many months ago I came across the acknowledgement that Gentiles/B'nei Noach are permitted to bring Korbanot. I broached the subject with my Orthodox Jewish friend and he pointed out that Temple Sacrifices cannot be brought, as the Temple does not stand at this time (May it be rebuilt speedily in our days!) Imagine my surprise when this morning I stumbled upon these posts:

Burnt offering of a gentile

Korbonos of Bnei Noach

One post references this page:

https://mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/qorbanot.htm

(From the website) "Gentiles were allowed to bring an olah in our Temple, unlike the rest of the kinds of qorbanot, which were reserved for Jews alone within the Temple itself; it should be remembered, however, that Gentiles are permitted to build their own place for qorbanot, and offer them to God themselves, and are promised reward for this meritorious behavior (it is disappointing that Gentiles have so far neglected this opportunity, by the way)."

I'm a B'nei Noach who has been studying Torah and considering conversion for 15 or so years. I am always looking to do more to serve Hashem if possible, through good deeds and self improvement.

Bringing a Korban offering seems to be just such a situation, and my intent is to confirm if this is indeed widely agreed upon by the Orthodoxy and permitted. Once that is established, which it appears to be to some extent, I would like to learn the details of how one would properly perform this ritual. At this moment, my interest is theoretical. I will not attempt to perform any ritual from a state of ignorance. I would only consider it after extensive study, deliberation, and guidance from Rabbis.

To reiterate, my first questions would be:

How accepted are these opinions in the Mishnah? Is it a majority opinion? Are there any dissenting opinions?

Are there other places this is discussed or arguments given in the Mishnah, Talmud, Gemora, etc?

Have any other Rabbis throughout Jewish History, addressed this or commented outside of Talmud, Mishnah, etc?

Shalom Alechem!

Answer 1

אליך שלום

I'm a ben Noach. This is not an answer, I state. Indeed this is a tricky topic and can only be answered by an expert rabbi, and I am not. So take what I say with a grain of salt, just as a personal thought. What you said is interesting. Indeed, also in my eyes the possibility for b'ne Noach to bring sacrifices seems to be disconnected from the Temple. In II Kings 5:17 it is written:

"And Na῾aman said, If not, let then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth; for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord."

(Translation taken from The Koren Jerusalem Bible)

And Rashi comments this verse:

“May there be given.” From this soil of Eretz Yisroel, which is holy, a load [of earth] carried by a team of mules, and I will carry it off to my city, and I will make it [into] an altar.

(Translation: The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J)

So, you see, Na'aman was allowed to bring sacrifices besides the Temple. However, this is not enough to say if it is permitted nowadays. An assumption can be that since the Jews today cannot bring sacrifices we (non-Jews) also are called to refrain from doing it. So, when in doubt, my advice is not to bring sacrifices, unless an expert orthodox rabbi, with the agreement of the majority of his colleagues, allows you to do it. I want to recall that if you pray you are already bringing a sacrifice, as it is written in Hosea 14:3:

"Take with you [the] words and turn to the Lord, say to him «Forgive all iniquity, and receive what is good: we will offer calves, namely [the words of] our lips.»"

(A more literal translation)

The Talmud (Yoma 86b:6) teaches about this verse as follows:

"But with regard to the Holy One, Blessed be He, if a person commits a transgression in private, God is appeased by words, as it is stated: “Take with you words and return to God” (Hosea 14:3). And not only that, but God considers it as though he has done a favor for God by repenting, as it is stated: “Accept that which is good” (Hosea 14:3). And not only that, but the verse ascribes him credit as though he had sacrificed bulls, as it is stated: “So we will render for bulls the offering of our lips” (Hosea 14:3). Lest you say he is considered only like one who offers obligatory bulls, therefore the verse states: “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely” (Hosea 14:5). Repentance is considered as though it were the sacrifice of a free-will offering."

(The William Davidson Talmud (Koren-Steinsaltz))

This verse is just about the prayer for forgiving, but I believe that this can teach that prayer shouldn't be viewed as lower than sacrifice.