18.03.2011                      12.Adar ll, 5771

Judentum:

God of the Earth: When eating meat was a sacrifice

It’s time for the Jewish community to reconsider its diet, as this week's Torah portion deals with meal-offerings in the Mishkan.

This week’s Torah portion, Tzav, gives instructions on meat sacrifice, “And that which is left thereof [from the meal-offering] shall Aaron and his sons eat; it shall be eaten without leaven in a holy place; in the tent of meeting they shall eat it… It is most holy as the sin-offering and the guilt-offering.”
When the Jewish people were in the wilderness before they entered the land of Israel, the consumption of meat was associated with holiness. Every piece of meat consumed came from an animal sacrificed in the Mishkan (Sanctuary), an act meant to bring the worshiper closer to G-d. The word korban (sacrifice) is related to lekarev, to come close. Through the sacrifice, worshipers felt that they were giving themselves vicariously to G-d….