The Scapegoat
Two Goats, Two Destinies: An Acharei Mot Reflection
Yom Kippur is experienced by many as a long day in shul, reading in great detail about the Temple service that once took place in the Beit HaMikdash. One of the most fascinating elements of that service is the procedure of the two goats: one taken as a sacrifice “for Hashem,” and the other sent “to Azazel” into the wilderness. It is not at all clear what Azazel really means, yet this ritual stands at the heart of the day’s Avodah.
In this article, we will explore two very different classic approaches – those of Nachmanides (Ramban) and Don Yitzchak Abarbanel – to understand the significance of these two goats and why they are such an essential part of the Yom Kippur service.
The Ritual of the Two Goats
The Torah commands Aharon in Vayikra chapter 16:
“He shall take the two goats and stand them before Hashem at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Aharon shall place lots upon the two goats: one lot for Hashem and one lot for Azazel. Aharon shall bring near the goat upon which the lot ‘for Hashem’ has come up and offer it as a sin-offering.
But the goat upon which the lot ‘for Azazel’ has come up shall be stood alive before Hashem, to atone upon it, to send it to Azazel, to the wilderness…
Aharon shall lean his two hands upon the head of the live goat and confess upon it all the iniquities of the Children of Israel and all their rebellions in all their sins, and he shall place them upon the head of the goat, and send it with a designated person into the wilderness.
The goat shall bear upon itself all their iniquities to an inaccessible land, and he shall send the goat into the wilderness.”
A fewarise. Why must the identity of each goat be decided by lottery? Why can the Kohen Gadol not simply designate one goat “for Hashem” and one “for Azazel” as he wishes? By placing lots on the two goats, the High Priest effectively leaves the decision to God. Why is that so critical to the ritual?
And at the deepest level: what is the meaning and symbolism behind this process? What is happening spiritually when one goat is brought close to the Holy of Holies, and the other is sent out to a barren, empty land?