זוהר בראשית — דף רמב ע”ב

Every offering in the Temple served to unify the higher Names. Each sacrifice symbolizes a different degree of drawing close to God. The secret is that the sacrifice is not a bribe to God, but an elevation of the human being. The one who offers is himself the offering, not the animal. The sacrifice is the spiritual act of the Israelite, the work of drawing close and the inner elevation of the soul toward its Creator.