Korban

In Judaism, the korban (pronounced [/qɔrˈbɑːn/]; Biblical Hebrew: קָרְבָּן, romanized: qorbān; pl. קָרְבָּנוֹת, qorbānôt), also romanized as qorban or corban, is any of a variety of sacrificial offerings described and commanded in the Torah.

The term korban primarily refers to sacrificial offerings given by humans to God to show homage, win favor, or secure pardon. The object sacrificed was usually an animal that was ritually slaughtered and then transferred from the human to the divine realm by being burned upon an altar. Other sacrifices included grain offerings, which were made from flour and oil instead of meat.

After the destruction of the Second Temple, sacrifices were prohibited because there was no longer a temple in Jerusalem—the only location permitted by Halakha and biblical law for sacrificial offerings. The offering of sacrifices was briefly reinstated during the Jewish–Roman wars of the second century CE.

When sacrifices were offered by the Israelites and, later, early Jews, they were offered as a fulfillment of the mitzvot ('commandments') enumerated in the Torah and Halakha. According to Orthodox Judaism, the coming of the prophesied Messiah will not vacate the requirement for Jews to keep the 613 commandments. When the Temple is rebuilt (as the Third Temple), sacrificial offerings may resume; Jewish religious movements disagree on whether this will be the case.

While some korbanot were offered as part of routine atonement for transgressions, their role was strictly limited. In Judaism, atonement can be achieved through means other than sacrificial offerings, including repentance, tzedakah ('charitable giving'), and tefillah ('prayer').