THE SEVENTY OXEN SACRIFICES – PROTECTION AND ELEVATION FOR BNEI NOACH

בס”ד

The Seventy Oxen Sacrifices: Protection and Elevation for Bnei Noah
During the festival of Sukkot, a total of seventy oxen were sacrificed in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. These seventy oxen were offered on behalf of the Seventy Nations of the world. The goal of these sacrifices was not solely for the benefit of the Jewish people, but to protect, bless, and awaken spiritual and physical abundance for all humanity.

The sacrifice of the oxen operates on two main levels concerning the Bnei Noah: The sacrifices were intended to protect the seventy nations and draw down Divine blessing and abundance upon them. The spiritual act of the sacrifices reveals the deeper purpose of the nations’ existence: that the entire world was created solely to fulfill the will of the Creator. The 70 “oxen” (sacrifices) help the nations to awaken their Divine spark and internalize their destiny, which is practically expressed through the observance of the Seven Noahide Commandments.

“And we will pay the vows of our lips”: In the absence of the Temple, the service of sacrifices is replaced by reciting the verses of the sacrifices with our lips, as the Prophet Hosea states (14:3). Since the movement of the lips is considered to be a physical act, reciting the verses today achieves the full spiritual effect—just as the physical sacrifices did in the Temple. This elevates them similarly as it was in the time of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

The Sukkah itself is likened to Noah’s Ark. Noah’s Ark symbolized universal peace (as all creatures inside did not harm one another). The Sukkah symbolizes the Divine protection that will bring about this future world peace—”They shall not hurt nor destroy” (Isaiah 11:9).

The Sages taught that if the nations of the world truly understood the immense blessing and abundance they received from the Holy Temple, they would form a human chain to protect it. However, when the Third Temple is rebuilt, the nations will also feel and recognize its spiritual power. Therefore, the prophecy will be fulfilled: the Temple will become the ultimate center of holiness and faith for all of humanity.

By Rabbi Moshe Bernstein

Source: The book of discourses (Melukat) part 1 page 126. Isaiah 11:9. Hosea 14:3. Tanchuma Buber, Teruma 8.