Semicha in sacrifices

For the ordination of rabbis in Judaism, see Semicha.

In the Hebrew Bible, semicha (literally "leaning") refers to the owner's placing of his hands before the priest offers the korban (animal sacrifice) in the Temple in Jerusalem. This involved pressing firmly on the head of the sacrificial animal, thereby symbolically "transmitting" sins onto the animal or, in other interpretations, to transform the sacrifice into an offering acceptable to HaShem.

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