A LESSON IN TESHUVAH FROM A PAIR OF GOATS
Acharei Mos - Yom Kippur
As part of the Yom Kippur Avodah, two male goats were brought into the Azarah. The Kohen Gadol would draw lots from a box in his two hands. One lot would designate one of the goats to be offered as a sacrifice to Hashem. The other would be sent L’Azazel, into the desert, carrying the sins of the Jewish people.
Every sin has 2 elements. There is the desire of the animal soul that leads a person to sin. The other element is the sinful action which gives expression to this desire.
The animal soul itself is not negative, neither is its desire. Desire is a neutral drive that can be channeled and expressed in negative things. But it can also be directed towards the service of Hashem.
Teshuvah redirects the misplaced desire of the animal soul. Instead of being drawn towards negativity, it is now channeled towards goodness and holiness.
This process of Teshuvah is reflected in the Avodah of the two he-goats which represent the 2 elements of sin. The goat that was offered as a sacrifice to Hashem represents the reformed and redirected desire of the animal soul.
The goat that was banished carrying the sins of the Jewish people represents the actions and expressions of the sins. These are banished from our experience.
One lesson that we can learn is that even when we sin, we should not define ourselves by our wrongdoings. Our sins are things that we have done, but they are not who we are. Once we recognise this, we can discard our negative baggage and refocus ourselves on drawing closer to Hashem.
~ Based on Maamarim 5678 Lemaan Yeidu
Every sin has 2 elements. There is the desire of the animal soul that leads a person to sin. The other element is the sinful action which gives expression to this desire.
The animal soul itself is not negative, neither is its desire. Desire is a neutral drive that can be channeled and expressed in negative things. But it can also be directed towards the service of Hashem.
Teshuvah redirects the misplaced desire of the animal soul. Instead of being drawn towards negativity, it is now channeled towards goodness and holiness.
This process of Teshuvah is reflected in the Avodah of the two he-goats which represent the 2 elements of sin. The goat that was offered as a sacrifice to Hashem represents the reformed and redirected desire of the animal soul.
The goat that was banished carrying the sins of the Jewish people represents the actions and expressions of the sins. These are banished from our experience.
One lesson that we can learn is that even when we sin, we should not define ourselves by our wrongdoings. Our sins are things that we have done, but they are not who we are. Once we recognise this, we can discard our negative baggage and refocus ourselves on drawing closer to Hashem.
~ Based on Maamarim 5678 Lemaan Yeidu