What happened to the Jews' sacrifice?

In the approaches to sacrifice of Maimonides, who was influenced by Islamic theologians and philosophers in the period when Jewish philosophy interacted most intensely with the Islamic intellectual milieu, it is possible to find traces of Islam's understanding of sacrifice. But we can regard this both as the influence of Islam, as a later religion, on Jewish theology, and as a rediscovery of truths within Judaism, a religion that is originally a religion of tawhid (monotheism).

According to Maimonides, for example, sacrifice is not God's need but man's need. In fact God has no need of any physical thing; in the belief in tawhid, the idea of God excludes the concept of need. God has no need of anything, and therefore sacrifices are not offered to "feed" God or to "please" Him, or to appease some of the "emotional" states (anger, consolation or otherwise) into which they fall. Rather, the worship of sacrifice was ordained as a means for the religious development of human beings.

But which sacrifice is this? The sacrifice that Maimonides nevertheless describes is a sacrifice that was accepted for a period as a form of historical transition, and later, when people reached a certain level of maturity, there was no longer any need to slaughter sacrifices. Thus later people no longer needed to be educated by means of sacrifice.

Maimonides explains in detail, and in a way persuasive in its own terms, the story behind the abolition and surpassing of sacrifice in this manner, its wisdom as he sees it, in his famous book Dalalat al-Ha'irin (The Guide for the Perplexed). According to this, sacrifice already existed before the period in which the Jewish Law (Shari'a) took shape, and its source is customs formed among people themselves.

"The general custom that was famous among all people at that time, and the general manner of worship of the Children of Israel, consisted of sacrificing animals in temples containing certain images, prostrating to these images and burning incense before them… God's wisdom and manifest grace in all created things do not require Him to send a law that would abolish, cause to be abandoned and annul all these kinds of worship. For this is something inconceivable to accept in terms of human nature, which makes a habit of it and becomes familiar with it" (p. 523).

Thus, although it is certain that the tradition of the burnt offering in the first period was not God's command, the other sacrifices too were among the general customs famous among people at that time, and God could not abolish them at once, because this would have run against human nature. Before this, Maimonides mentions, as a proverb for this subject, a grace God has bestowed on all mammals... All mammals, "because their young are extremely tender when they are born, cannot be fed with hard food. Therefore, so that newborn young could be nourished with moist food suited to their temperament, God granted the mammals breasts producing milk. Thus the limbs of living beings gradually dry and harden by degrees" (p. 522).

Maimonides explains that such a rule of gradualness operates in the way the Law was revealed in human history. In fact many commandments God laid down did not take their final form because of this rule of human nature. When we take into account somewhat the aims of the Law and somewhat this evolution of humanity, the Jewish Law could present very great differences.

"God did not lead the people in question by the straight path, the first aim. Because, in terms of their nature, it was beyond their capacity to enter another path and thereby reach the first aim. Similarly, God made obligatory the aforementioned laws that we mentioned because accepting them was, in terms of their nature, beyond the capacity of their souls, so that by this means the first aim, that is, comprehending God and avoiding the worship of idols, could be attained" (p. 524).

Returning to the example of sacrifice, Maimonides says: "Although sacrifice is for the name of God, it was not made obligatory upon us as it was at the beginning. That is, sacrifice is not a worship that can be offered at all times and places as at the beginning. Nor is sacrifice a worship that can be performed in any temple and by any person" (p. 526).

It has been stated that sacrifices are not in themselves the main aim and that God is independent of these sacrifices. Indeed Samuel said, "Does God delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in having His word listened to?" (I Samuel 15:22), Isaiah said, "'What is the purpose of your many sacrifices to Me?' says God..." (Isaiah 1:11), and Jeremiah said, "For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, I did not speak to them or command them about burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I commanded them this: Listen to My voice, and I will be your God and you will be My people. Walk in the way I command you in everything, so that it may go well with you" (Jeremiah 7:22-23) (p. 527).

In order to secure the complete abolition of both the burnt offering and the other forms of sacrifice, Maimonides will need to clarify some explicit rulings and statements of the Torah. For example, Maimonides interprets Jeremiah's statements, in God's name, commanding burnt offerings and sacrifices, with the statement "The first intent is that you comprehend Me and worship none other than Me: 'I will be your God and you will be My people'" (Jeremiah 7:22-23), explaining that what is meant here is the erasure of the traces of idolatry, and that once this intent was realized there was no longer any need for this means. Going even further, he explains that although the real aim was to destroy idolatry and to worship God alone, they exhibited a deviation by getting stuck on the form and presenting it as something God needs.

"But you annulled this aim and clung tightly to the things that are means. That is, you doubted My existence; 'lying in God's name, you said, "He will do nothing"' (Jeremiah 5:12), and you worshiped idols. Burning incense to Baal and going after other gods that you did not know, do you come and stand before Me in the temple that belongs to Me in order to do all these abominations...? (Jeremiah 7:9-10) You still keep visiting God's temple and offering sacrifices that are not the first aim" (p. 527).

According to many Jewish sects, of which Maimonides is the strongest representative, sacrifice was accepted for a period as a form of historical transition, but later, when humanity reached the level at which it would understand it, this form was abolished.

But that Zionist Jews, as a people, have neither a principle nor a human being that would keep them from sacrificing in order to approach their goals on earth (their Zion) is a reality that everyone sees much more clearly these days. The Jews, commanded not to steal, not to kill, not to lie, not to commit adultery, today, with their pioneering role in genocide, usurpation, occupation, false propaganda and pornography, adopt an attitude of suspending all ten commandments in relation to non-Jews, and this is a matter of sacrifice.

NOTE: The quotations from Maimonides here are from his book Dalalat al-Ha'irin (Kimlik Publications, trans. Osman Baydar and Özcan Akdağ, Kayseri, 2019. Chapters 31 and 32, pp. 520-528).