Understanding Animal Sacrifice in Spiritual Practices

In the first parasha of the third book of the Torah, Vayikra, there is a long discussion of the obligations and methods of animal sacrifice.

The animal is killed and consumed by fire. The physical remains cease to exist.

Those who partake in and observe this ritual are vicariously experiencing the transition to death. Despite talk of the wonders of the afterlife, most people naturally prefer delaying that experience.

Death is inevitable in our finite, temporal, material world. It does not exist in the infinite, eternal, spiritual world. For people, when we die, the soul which lived in tandem with the body is freed to dwell in the spiritual universe from which it originated. The soul loses its connection to our worldly existence, settling into the Celestial Realm of God.

The purpose of Creation is that mortal human beings endeavor to awaken, nourish, and culture the human spiritual aspect (the soul). In doing this, we accomplish God’s goal of bridging the Earthly to the Heavenly.

Animal sacrifice gives us a taste of this objective. Mindfully observing the death of the animal profoundly affects our sense of life’s end. It is touching the spiritual life. We become closer to God. We are symbolically transferred to God’s house. For a moment, while highly focused on the ritual happening before our eyes, we become one with the Deity.

We transcend our earthly limitations and view the infinite and the eternal. We fulfill our ultimate ambition of exercising free choice by choosing the spiritual awareness that is innate to the soul.

By heightening this sensitivity, we become more expansive than is possible in the physical universe. We toss aside our perceived limitations and move beyond mortal ambitions, fears, and emotions. Witnessing animal sacrifice with an open mind alters our perception of the end-of-life experience. Becoming closer to God is reassuring and calming.

Hope, peace of mind, and enhanced self-esteem are the rewards. By bearing witness to the ritual killing and flaming consumption of the beast, we are struck by the everlasting transition from life to death, from mortality to spirituality, from worldly to Godly.

Animal sacrifice became unacceptable in the modern world.

It was replaced by prayer. The focused, meditative act of praying takes us away from our distractions. Prayer seeks to supplant desire and false ego as driving forces in life.

Prayer must be pure and unblemished. It cannot be associated with any other mental activity, whether conscious or subconscious. It is best practiced using a language not understood. The natural tendency to translate or interpret the words of prayer distracts from the pure focus.

Knowing what the words of prayer mean or symbolize or teach adds another layer to the praying. This complicates the act, making it less meditative.

In fact, a mortal life is a meditative experience. We accomplish more with greater effectiveness when we are focused.  

Addressing the mystery of death is a fundamental aspect of most religions. Explanation, comfort, and reassurance are expected and offered in religious descriptions of death. Throughout recorded human history, people have always engaged religion when thinking about and [especially] confronting death.

Animal sacrifice presents an experiential glimpse of death. This ritual endured as a prominent component of human religion from time immemorial. It may not give concrete answers. It bestows relief, calms fear, and invokes hope.

Being present at the moment of death of a living creature, during a ritual assigns it high significance, as recognized leaders add weight and meaning is a profound moment. In times when animal sacrifice was commonly accepted, most people believed this ritual impacted them. They tuned all their sense to the spectacle.

It is difficult for the modern mind to grasp and appreciate the impact of this ceremony. It may strike us as barbaric. If the purpose of having animal sacrifice is to help people visualize the intersection of life and death, this ritual fulfills the need.

I do not endorse resuming this practice. I am trying to understand it as part of comprehending and obeying God’s commandment: “You will be Holy, for I the lord your God am Holy.” God wants us to enhance inner harmony by aligning the spiritual power of the soul with the mortal strength of the body.

Meditative prayer without distraction has the potential to accomplish this objective.