One of the mitzvahs for Yom
Kippur, when the Temple
stood in ancient times, was the ritual of the scapegoat. It is described in the
book of Leviticus (16:7-9, 20-22). In it two identical goats are placed in
front of the High Priest. Two lots are drawn randomly one labeled "to
Hashem" and the other "to Azazel" (עזאזל) and placed on the goats. The goat marked "to Hashem"
is brought as a sin offering. Next the other goat, while it is still alive is
placed in front of the Cohen Gadol. He then places his hands on the goat's head
and confesses the various sins of the house of Israel . After that the scapegoat is
taken into the wilderness and released. The Chumash then concludes that the
scapegoat has taken all of their transgressions to a "cut off land".
The commentaries discuss the word
Azazel. Some render it as the name of a place that it is rugged with high
cliffs. Az, עז,
literally means "bold" and many use it as a description of the place.
The word itself can be read as "go out to", אזל, to "bold", עז. The hint is that
boldness is associated with sin. The Ramban and others see it as the name of a
fallen angel.
The Cli Yakar and the Ramban see
the scapegoat to a certain extent as a concession to evil. The Cli Yakar draws
a parallel to the two goats Ya'akov had prepared for his father Yitzchak, when
he received the blessing intended for Esau by deceit. The Ramban explores the
use of the word שעיר for a goat and draws parallels to the bad side of Esav, who
dwelled in the land of Seer שעיר, and to the use of the Chumash of this word to describe a pagan
demon (see VaYikra 17:7). The basic idea in the language of the popular saying
"is to give the devil his due".
The central idea of the scapegoat
is to blame somebody else not only for all of one's sins but for everything
else that is wrong in society. So to speak the sinner is saying, "I would
have been fine except because of this other person and now that he's gone I
will in fact be fine". Therefore the High Priest solemnly blames all the
sins of the nation on this goat then sends the goat into a jungle. So to speak
everything that is wrong in the world is the fault of this goat. In this way it
is hoped that the bad will repent even though they used an evasive
maneuver.
There are other lessons to be
learned. From the word Azazel we learn that brazenness is often a vehicle for
sin. In addition one who is engrossed in sin tends to be driven into a rugged
wilderness and may find himself on the edge of a cliff. In civilization people
are trusting and polite for that reason brazen wrong doing can continue for
quite some time. However these tricks will not work against wild animals in a
jungle particularly if done by a lamb.
The Sforno focuses on the lot
picked by the High Priest and compares it to asking for the word of G-d. He
then quotes the book of Proverbs (16:33), "The lot is cast in the lap but,
from Hashem is all judgment". Rashi explains that a person casts his own
lots after that Hashem chooses each man's portion. The thrust seems to be that
a person has free will to choose between good and evil and based on that choice
Hashem may place him in a rugged wilderness or in the inner sanctuary of the Temple .
To view on YouTube click:
The High Holiday piyut HaYom (היום) is sung
at 8:32
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