Uploaded August 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
When the Second Temple was destroyed, animal sacrifice officially became a practice of the past. Instead, the rabbis and the Jewish people transitioned to prayer as their primary form of worship. But even in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, there is discomfort and ambivalence around the violence of animal sacrifice. In this presentation, we discuss how and why animal sacrifice was practiced, the decision to implement prayer services instead, and whether rabbinic literature foresees a return to it in the future. We also hear from Dr. Richard Schwartz about his new book and his initiative to revive the ancient holiday of the New Year for the Animals.
NOTE: Captions are being updated!
When the Second Temple was destroyed, animal sacrifice officially became a practice of the past. Instead, the rabbis and the Jewish people transitioned to prayer as their primary form of worship. But even in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, there is discomfort and ambivalence around the violence of animal sacrifice. In this presentation, we discuss how and why animal sacrifice was practiced, the decision to implement prayer services instead, and whether rabbinic literature foresees a return to it in the future. We also hear from Dr. Richard Schwartz about his new book and his initiative to revive the ancient holiday of the New Year for the Animals.
NOTE: Captions are being updated!
