Yoma 6:8
Was the scapegoat “to Azazeil” of the Yom Kippur rite ceremony symbolic or magical?
讗诪专讜 诇讜 诇讻讛谉 讙讚讜诇, 讛讙讬注 砖注讬专 诇诪讚讘专. 讜诪谞讬谉 讛讬讜 讬讜讚注讬谉 砖讛讙讬注 砖注讬专 诇诪讚讘专? 讚专讻讬讜转 讛讬讜 注讜砖讬谉, 讜诪谞讬驻讬谉 讘住讜讚专讬谉 讜讬讜讚注讬谉 砖讛讙讬注 砖注讬专 诇诪讚讘专. 讗诪专 专讘讬 讬讛讜讚讛, 讜讛诇讗 住讬诪谉 讙讚讜诇 讛讬讛 诇讛诐, 诪讬专讜砖诇讬诐 讜注讚 讘讬转 讞讚讜讚讜 砖诇砖讛 诪讬诇讬谉. 讛讜诇讻讬谉 诪讬诇, 讜讞讜讝专讬谉 诪讬诇, 讜砖讜讛讬谉 讻讚讬 诪讬诇, 讜讬讜讚注讬谉 砖讛讙讬注 砖注讬专 诇诪讚讘专. 专讘讬 讬砖诪注讗诇 讗讜诪专, 讜讛诇讗 住讬诪谉 讗讞专 讛讬讛 诇讛诐, 诇砖讜谉 砖诇 讝讛讜专讬转 讛讬讛 拽砖讜专 注诇 驻转讞讜 砖诇 讛讬讻诇, 讜讻砖讛讙讬注 砖注讬专 诇诪讚讘专 讛讬讛 讛诇砖讜谉 诪诇讘讬谉, 砖谞讗诪专 [讬砖注讬讛 讗:讬讞] “讗诐 讬讛讬讜 讞讟讗讬讻诐 讻砖谞讬诐 讻砖诇讙 讬诇讘讬谞讜”.
They would tell the high priest, “the goat has reached the wilderness” [indicating that he could proceed with the service]. But how did they know that it had reached the wilderness? There were scouts who waived signals [as it passed] to inform [the priests] that the goat had reached the wilderness. Rabbi Yehudah says it was quite a system they had鈥攆rom Jerusalem to Beit Hidudo [the edge of the wilderness] was three mil. The scouts walked one mil [with the goat] then returned the mil and waited an equal time, and thus they knew that the goat had reached the wilderness. Rabbi Yishmael says, but wasn鈥檛 there a different notification system? A crimson cloth was hung from the sanctuary door, and when the goat reached the wilderness, it would turn white, as it says, “Though your sins be like crimson, they shall become white as snow” (Isa. 1:18).
Comments
Of the many strange ceremonies in Judaism, few can match that of the scapegoat ritual described above. Some speculate that it reflects an era when Israelites were torn between worship of the Lord and the worship of goat demons (See Lev. 17:7, and the comments of Nachmanides there and in Lev. 16:8). However, the scapegoat came to symbolize the purification of Israel from sin on Yom Kippur. This Mishnah focuses on the question of how the priest knew that the ritual was complete, and that the goat had fallen from a designated cliff in the desert. Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Yishmael, living after the temple had been destroyed, debate whether the priests relied on a clever relay system or rather, a miracle. This raises the question of memory鈥攁re the sages debating what actually happened in the temple, or rather what should have happened, based upon their interpretation of the Bible?
Questions
How do you relate to the scapegoat ritual? Is it a powerful symbol of the expiation of sin, a dubious quasi-magical rite, or simply another mitzvah of the Torah?
