Do the Abrahamic faiths believe in food offerings?

[Rainbow Mage]

Such as offering God cooked things or drinks? A lot of Pagans do that. Is that encouraged or discouraged for the Abrahamic religions?

 

[Levite]

Such as offering God cooked things or drinks? A lot of Pagans do that. Is that encouraged or discouraged for the Abrahamic religions?

Judaism has not offered food or drink to God since the Temple fell. We do have many home rituals that involve food-- sacred meals, blessings over wine, the Passover Seder, etc.-- but those are not offered to God, per se. Those are instances when we eat food in order to celebrate or mark a festival or holiday, or as part of a ritual of beginning or ending the Shabbat (Sabbath), or to remind us of the great things God has done for us. Likewise, we say a blessing before we eat or drink anything, as a thanks to God for creating what we are about to eat-- just as we say a blessing afterwards, and even after we go to the bathroom, to thank God for the miracle of our physical bodies (our digestive and excretory systems, muscular, vascular, and renal systems, etc). But that is not to offer or dedicate the food or drink to God, but to thank God for creating it, and for creating us in a way that we can derive sustenance and function. It should also be noted that keeping kosher, and the laws of shechitah, or kosher slaughter of animals, is intended to sanctify the ways in which we grow, keep, and consume foods, in order to be mindful of God as Creator and, in the case of shechitah, to prevent undue cruelty to or suffering by the animals we eat. But none of those things is really "offering" food to God, or dedicating it, or sacrificing.

Until the mashiach (messiah) comes, and a Third Temple is built, the Rabbis of the Talmud have prohibited us from offering food or drink directly to God. They taught us that instead, by eating our sacred meals, drinking sacral wine, making blessings before and after eating and drinking, we indirectly dedicate our food and drink to God by thanking Him for making it, and by then consuming it as we were created to do.

 

[Yaqub]

Such as offering God cooked things or drinks? A lot of Pagans do that. Is that encouraged or discouraged for the Abrahamic religions?

As for the religion of Al-Islaam, which is one of the "Abrahamic religions", though we claim we are the only religion which is true to the basic message of Abraham (peace be upon him), which is that there is only one God worthy of worship (Allaah):

Sacrificing an animal to God is part of our religion, such as a goat, camel, lamb, calf, etc.,

However, as the Jews used to do, that is burning grain or wheat as a "food offering" to God, is not part of our Sharee'ah (law).

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Thank you Levite and Yaqoob.

 

[Abu Rashid]

Whilst we sacrifice in Islam, we do it in the name of God, but the food is most certainly not "for God". what need would God have with food?

It would just seem to me to be bizarre.

 

[dawny0826]

My belief is that Christ's sacrifice served as the ultimate sacrifice and replacement for food and animal offerings.

 

[Abu Rashid]

Do you honestly believe the ancient Israelites used to make animal offerings? I think this is something that's become mixed up in the sands of time. The Middle Eastern concept of sacrifice is centred around sacrificing animals for eating, not as "gifts to God", as God has no need of sustenance or nutrition.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I don't think anyone believes a deity needs food. I think you misunderstand the custom of offering food. It's a way of having a relationship or sharing with our deity in an intimate way.

 

[arthra]

Such as offering God cooked things or drinks? A lot of Pagans do that. Is that encouraged or discouraged for the Abrahamic religions?

Baha'is have nothing along this line.. I suppose offerings or sacrifices would be more along the lines of people offering themselves or making sacrifices for the Cause of God.

 

[Abu Rashid]

In Islam, and I assume in ancient Israelite culture, sacrificing an animal means slaughtering it in the name of God, and distributing it's meat amongst the poor and needy.

 

[Levite]

In Islam, and I assume in ancient Israelite culture, sacrificing an animal means slaughtering it in the name of God, and distributing it's meat amongst the poor and needy.

More or less. In ancient Israelite culture, as far as we know, there were several different kinds of sacrifices. Some, like sin offerings, were entirely burned upon the alter: this seems to have been of twofold reasoning-- that the animal was essentially taking your place, dying so that you would not have to die for your sins, but also as a sign that you were giving up something valuable and offering it to God as a sign of penitence and respect for God's power as Creator. Some offerings were in part consumed by the fire on the altar, but parts were roasted and eaten by the priests as part of their rightful tithe, as they owned no land. And some offerings, especially offerings of thanks and goodwill, were mostly eaten by the offerant and his family, with a token portion going to the priest who officiated at the sacrifice. The Rabbis of the Talmud tell us that no one who came hungry to the Temple was turned away: families or individuals whose sacrifice was too much for them to consume in one sitting would share it with the hungry and needy.

The idea was never, I think, that God was hungry and wanted to be fed. The idea-- even in those days of much less sophisticated theology-- was that sacrifice was a gesture of acknowledgement of God's power and sovereignty, and God's role as Creator of all Living Things. Blood held great significance to the ancients, and it was deemed proper that blood, which was thought to be the essence of life, be gifted back to Him who gave Life to begin with. The Rabbis of the Talmud speculate on many other reasons for sacrifice, but IMO, I think it was simply a more ignorant precursor to the idea of prayer, much the same way the people worshipped idols before the idea of a transcendent unitary deity became comprehensible to the average person.

My personal opinion is that, when the mashiach comes and the Third Temple is built, animals will not be sacrificed, but some kind of symbolic fire will take their place.

 

[Zardoz]

...
My personal opinion is that, when the mashiach comes and the Third Temple is built, animals will not be sacrificed, but some kind of symbolic fire will take their place.

Maybe the Ketoret (incense) offering will be enough? Or are you thinking of something else?

 

[Boethiah]

I don't understand the concept of offering food...does one leave it at an altar or in some other ceremony? Then what happens to it? Most things would spoil it would seem.

 

[Levite]

Maybe the Ketoret (incense) offering will be enough? Or are you thinking of something else?

I am guessing that ketoret will suffice, along with perhaps a reinstitution of the lechem hapanim (displayed bread), and the bringing of the first fruits.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I don't understand the concept of offering food...does one leave it at an altar or in some other ceremony? Then what happens to it? Most things would spoil it would seem.

I usually leave it on the altar up to an hour before I thank the divinity for sharing in a meal or drink with me, and then I consume it.

 

[Abu Rashid]

Do you not think it's a little silly (sorry couldn't think of a better word) to do so?

Kind of like offering food to a rock or the ocean or the moon isn't it? Since neither of these things are creatures with digestive systems, and therefore have no need nor way of consuming foodstuffs. What is the purpose of putting the food there, may I ask?

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Do you not think it's a little silly (sorry couldn't think of a better word) to do so?

Kind of like offering food to a rock or the ocean or the moon isn't it? Since neither of these things are creatures with digestive systems, and therefore have no need nor way of consuming foodstuffs. What is the purpose of putting the food there, may I ask?

Like I said, I don't expect you to understand the intimacy of sharing something like that with a deity, even knowing the deity doesn't have a digestive system and won't consume it. Yes, I'm aware of that. It's the idea of the intimacy and the relationship of the act.

 

[Gaura Priya]

I think the idea of offering food to God in the form of an offering is proper, like how Cain made a grain offering.

One could have the name of GOD as YHWH in Hebrew, offer incense, and then offer the food in a bowl with a prayer to the Lord of the Universe, then one can leave it for five minutes, and then transfer the food and eat of it.

That is an offering, not of food, but of love and devotion.

 

[Levite]

I think the idea of offering food to God in the form of an offering is proper, like how Cain made a grain offering.

One could have the name of GOD as YHWH in Hebrew, offer incense, and then offer the food in a bowl with a prayer to the Lord of the Universe, then one can leave it for five minutes, and then transfer the food and eat of it.

That is an offering, not of food, but of love and devotion.

One could do those things if one were not Jewish.

Jews are forbidden to offer any physical thing to God, or make any kind of shrine or altar, no matter how informal or temporary. The only exception to this rule, when we are ever permitted to do these things, is the Temple. But the Temple was destroyed, 2000 years ago, and there will be no new Temple built until the messiah comes. Until then, we may not burn incense to God, we may not offer any kind of food or creature to God, and we may not make of any place, or any part of a place, a shrine or altar to God.

We offer love and devotion to God through prayer, and song, and most of all by following the commandments. This is what God wants from us.

What non-Jews can and should do is different, and perhaps for them shrines or altars or food offerings may be acceptable.

 

[Marco19]

What non-Jews can and should do is different, and perhaps for them shrines or altars or food offerings may be acceptable.

Hello Levite,
According to your statement, G-d treats Jews & Gentiles differently, is it included the rewards (heaven) and punishments (hell) too?
(is it correct if i say that Jews heaven differ from the Gentiles, and G-d will always distinguish His chosen people, even after death in the spiritual world)

Thank You.