Read this on Chabad.org concerning the sacrifices in the Torah. The article said:
"Why Sacrifice?
The sacrificial service was not primarily about the physical act of slaughtering an animal; it was principally a spiritual service. On a basic level, if the sacrifice was being brought to atone for some inadvertent sin, one had to feel remorse over what had happened. To assist in reaching true repentance, he would bear in mind that what was being done to the animal essentially should have occurred to him.
Another way of understanding sacrifices is that the animal one brings as an offering to G‑d is symbolic of our own inner animal, our instincts and primal desires that we must bring into alignment with G‑d’s will. We surrender that part of us to G‑d and make it submissive to Him, so that it too may seek to do His will."

Thought it was an interesting perspective.