Timeless Torah

aron, high priest to G-d, brother of Moses, and lover of Jews succeeded in influencing millions...but failed with two of his own sons. Rather than subjugate their affinity for spirituality in the service of others, they used their talents and desire to further their own agenda. In their zeal for G-dly communion they brought an aish zarah, a strange non-commanded fire offering. Their punishment was swift and left no chance for repentance, they died. Subsequently, their father Aaron was warned not to repeat their mistake; the Kodesh Kadashim (Holy of Holies) was off limits, even to him, and only on Yom Kippur with the proper offering, could its portals be opened and the High Priest allowed entry.
Our Biblical reading follows the stern admonitions of Heaven with a detailed description of the avodah (service) that was to be performed on the holiest Day of Atonement. “From the Children of Israel you shall take...shnei seiray ezim l’chatas...two male goats as a sin offering.” Our Sages point out in the Talmud that the two goats must be identical in color, height and value and that they must be purchased simultaneously. On Yom Kippur these two animals were brought to the Kohen Gadol and made to stand shoulder to shoulder, at which point lots were drawn. Suddenly the two creatures whose external characteristics seemed to have destined them for similar fortune, parted ways in drastically divergent paths. One was designated la’Hashem, to be brought as an offering in the Holy Temple, while the other was to be sent la’azazel, to be pushed off a desolate cliff. As the seir la’azazel (the goat meant for the cliff) remained standing alive, the seir la’Hashem was ritually slaughtered and its blood collected in a vessel. That vessel was brought to the Holy of Holies where the blood was sprinkled between the poles of the Holy Ark, on the the separating curtain between the most sacred spot on the planet and the main Temple sanctuary as well as on the Golden Altar. Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, (leading rabbi of German Jews in the mid 1800’s) elaborates on the possible thoughts this dramatic scene of life and death engendered in (are you ready for this) the goat, more specifically the seir la’azazel.
“Whew!!! I can’t believe what I just saw... Talk about a close call... That could have been my neck. My lucky day that I didn’t draw his lot! 50-50 chance... Poor guy... I had taken a bit of a liking to him...” The Kohen Gadol then approached the seir la’azazel, placed his hands on its head and confessed the sins of the nation. It was then led out of the Temple grounds toward the mountains outside of Jerusalem. “Ahhhh... boy, am I glad to be out of that place... It gave me the creeps. Now I can relax and take a deep breath. Nothing like the country air. I sure am glad I was able to walk out on my own two feet... Beautiful scenery - this is the life...”
It was then brought to the edge of a high cliff...
“What a panoramic view! Incredible, absolutely incredible! Talk about a Kodak moment! “ ...turned around with its back to the cliff...
“Oh, I get it, you want a shot with the mountains in the background... Tell me when... Say cheese...” ...and pushed off the mountain...
Judaism offers many important lessons for those willing to listen and learn, but without a doubt the moral derived from the tale of the two goats is of paramount significance. Most of us start out with certain similarities. We have parents that love us, teachers that educate us, good friemds and bad, and more or less look the same...two eyes, two ears, etc. But from that point, each one of us makes our own decisions and carves out our own path. Often one road seems wrought with sacrifice and pain, the other blissful and serene.
Religion plagues us with the most difficult of questions. Why give up pleasures? Why restrain ourselves? Why not get all the enjoyment we can out of life? An old Schaeffer Beer poster once parodied a Nautilus advertisement. It was a picture of an extremely overweight fellow sitting on a Schaeffer Beer barrel with a full mug of beer in each hand. The caption underneath read: No Pain, No Pain...
It is the struggles which build our strengths, and the easy path is rarely the fulfilling one. That which is so tempting is often a dead end. Remember there’s only one life, but two roads. Choose carefully.