Scapegoat
Question
What was the significance of the Scapegoat in Lev 16?
Answer
Shalom!
Thank you for your question.
The procedure you refer to is the Yom Kippur ceremony of the two goats.
A lottery was drawn to determine which goat would a be give as an offering on the altar and which goat would be the “scapegoat” sent into the wilderness and thrown off a cliff. The scapegoat atones for the sins of the Jewish people.
The Talmud emphasizes that no one should think that thye can sin all year and that the Yom Kippur scapegoat will atone for them. No way. We are told that the scapegoat only atones for those who have properly repented their sins, as well.
Answered by
Author of the "Dalet Amot BeHalacha" series
Smicha Yoreh-Yoreh (1999) and Yadin-Yadin, author of "Dalet Amot BeHalacha" (11 volumes)
Orach Chaim, Yoreh Deah, Even HaEzer, Choshen Mishpat (excluding laws of interest)
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