Lexicon

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Corban



Corban (Hebrew word meaning "sacrifice", plural: Corbanot) refers to any one of a variety of sacrificial offerings described and commanded in the Hebrew Bible that were offered in a variety of settings by the ancient Israelites, and then by the Cohanim ("priests") in the Temple in Jerusalem. Corban derives from the Hebrew root qarov means to "[come] Close (or Draw Near) [to God]", a meaning the standard English translations of "sacrifice" or "offering" do not fully convey.

A Corban was usually an animal sacrifice, such as a sheep or a bull that underwent Jewish ritual slaughter (shechita), and often cooked and eaten by the offerer, with parts given to the Cohanim (priests) and parts burned on the Temple altar (mizbe'ah). Corbanot could also consist of turtle-doves, grain, incense, fruit, and a variety of other offerings.

The Torah narrates that God commanded the Jewish People to offer Corbanot on various altars, and describes the offering of sacrifices in the Tabernacle and in the Temple in Jerusalem until the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 CE.

Corbanot and the nature of their practice continue to have relevance to Jewish theology and law, particularly in Orthodox Judaism.

But Jesus said: "For Moses said, ‘Honour your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die’. But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban’ (that is, an offering to God) – then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, thus making void the Word of God through your tradition that you have handed on" (Mark 7:10-13).