Among the many religious acts condemned in the Hebrew Bible, child sacrifice stands out as particularly horrifying. The idea that any group of people would willingly sacrifice their own children to their god(s) is so contrary to modern moral sensibilities that it is difficult to imagine that such a practice could have ever existed.
Nonetheless, the existence of biblical condemnation of these rites attests to the fact that some anci
ent Israelites in fact did sacrifice their children.
Indeed, a close reading of the evidence—biblical, archaeological, epigraphic, etc.—indicates that there are at least three different types of Israelite child sacrifice, each with its own history, purpose, and function.
In addition to examining the historical reality of Israelite child sacrifice, Dewrell’s study also explores the biblical rhetoric condemning the practice. While nearly every tradition preserved in
the Hebrew Bible rejects child sacrifice as abominable to Yahweh, the rhetorical strategies employed by the biblical writers vary to a surprising degree.
Thus, even in arguing against the practice of child sacrifice, the biblical writers themselves often disagreed concerning why Yahweh condemned the rites and why they came to exist in the first place.
There is no doubt the story of the Akeidah, the binding of Isaac, is one of the most dramatic in the entire Torah.
The Akeidah is the cruellest test that can be devised. God asks Abraham to take his most precious possession, his only son, the son God Himself had promised him, the one he and Sarah waited for nearly 100 years to hug.
In biblical times, and in other cultures of the area, we hear about human sacrifices – especially leaders sacrificing their nearest and dearest, in the hope they could save a kingdom from destruction. Yet the Torah and the Prophets attack this ritual.
The test of Abraham was
designed to tell him and us that the ram, found in the thicket, was the substitute for Isaac. Animal sacrifice was considered a higher form of worship, and the old and cruel customs should cease.
Animal sacrifice continued from Abraham’s days and for more than 1,500 years until the destruction of the second Temple. Our prayer today is superior to Temple sacrifice – it can be performed everywhere, can be individual or communal and you can pray aloud or in your heart.
Abraham passed the test, but was willing to go all the way and sacrifice the one thing that was most precious to him. In doing so, he failed the test of understanding the nuances of God’s instructions.
