How does a goat in the wilderness bring us on the path to holiness?
This week’s Torah portion teaches us about Aaron, Moses’s brother. As the high priest, Aaron was charged with taking two goats and designating one for God and one for “Azazel.” Aaron then laid his hands upon the goat for Azazel and confessed all the sins of the Israelites. The goat was then led out into the wilderness.
For many modern readers, this story strikes us as deeply strange. However, I think it can connect us to the ritual of cleaning chametz in anticipation of Passover, and teaches us something profound about preparation.
The term Azazel is often translated as “scapegoat.” Is the Torah teaching us to eliminate our problems by simply finding something else to take the blame? Mordechai Kaplan would say no. In The Torah: A Modern Commentary, he argues that the meaning of this ritual is not about blame; it is about the importance of removing evil before one tries to do good. Similarly, in order to properly prepare for Passover, we are asked to cleanse our homes of the chametz we accumulated over the course of the year. In this way, the ritual of the scapegoat can serve as a useful metaphor: in order to embark upon change, preparation is a vital step.
In this period between Passover and Shavuout, I encourage you to think about the changes we are hoping for in our lives. If we are determined to do things differently, what are the preparations we need to undertake in order to prime ourselves for success? This is a charge I pledge to bring to my work with Limmud North America. I encourage you to find ways to imbue meaning not only in the process of change, but in the preparation for it as well.
Learn on!
