One thing I don't see mentioned as much these days is that most food offerings, in most religions, have actually traditionally gone to feed somebody. In Greece and Rome, the offerings were killed and cooked ritually, and then everybody sat down to eat them as a feast-- this happens several times in the Iliad, and those feasts tend to be where important conversations are had and important decisions made. The sacrificial part of it is that the animals are not being killed when they usually would be and are not being used to increase the herds and flocks. In ancient Judaism and in ancient and modern Hinduism and Buddhism, the offerings go to feed the priests and their families. In fact, in the one animal sacrifice that still regularly happens in Judaism today, the Hasidic kapparot, the slaughter of a chicken is performed ritually; the one making the offering purchases the chicken, brings it to the ceremony, and takes it home to eat.
So the idea of offering food that then goes entirely to waste is, as far as I can tell, modern and not based on literary or archaeological evidence.
This caused me to decide that my food offerings could be any food I prepare/purchase ritually and do something worshipful and special with, whether that's making a holiday meal for a large group or buying canned goods and giving them to a food bank. It's made that sort of activity feel a lot more sacred and I think helps keep me mindful while I do it....
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2018-05-09 01:45 am (UTC)One thing I don't see mentioned as much these days is that most food offerings, in most religions, have actually traditionally gone to feed somebody. In Greece and Rome, the offerings were killed and cooked ritually, and then everybody sat down to eat them as a feast-- this happens several times in the Iliad, and those feasts tend to be where important conversations are had and important decisions made. The sacrificial part of it is that the animals are not being killed when they usually would be and are not being used to increase the herds and flocks. In ancient Judaism and in ancient and modern Hinduism and Buddhism, the offerings go to feed the priests and their families. In fact, in the one animal sacrifice that still regularly happens in Judaism today, the Hasidic kapparot, the slaughter of a chicken is performed ritually; the one making the offering purchases the chicken, brings it to the ceremony, and takes it home to eat.
So the idea of offering food that then goes entirely to waste is, as far as I can tell, modern and not based on literary or archaeological evidence.
This caused me to decide that my food offerings could be any food I prepare/purchase ritually and do something worshipful and special with, whether that's making a holiday meal for a large group or buying canned goods and giving them to a food bank. It's made that sort of activity feel a lot more sacred and I think helps keep me mindful while I do it....