Parashat Aharei Mot-Kedoshim
Congregation B’nai Sholom/Fair Lawn Jewish Center Conservative
The concept of scapegoat finds its origins in the Book of Leviticus. On the occasion of Yom Kippur, the high priest in the ancient Temple would be presented with two goats. One was designated “for the Lord” and was offered as a sacrifice on the Temple altar. The other was designated “for Azazel.” The Azazel (or scapegoat) symbolically bore the sins of the entire Jewish community and was sent to wander through the wilderness of the Judean hills.
The ancient scapegoat was just that, a goat! The Jewish community was forgiven their transgressions by transferring them to the goat, who, in turn, was banished from the city of Jerusalem and left to wander in the wilderness. Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg writes, “There are no goats today to carry off our sins. The Mishnah makes it abundantly clear that Yom Kippur only brings atonement if we repent sincerely and determine never to repeat our wrongdoings.”
Though the ancient Temple in Jerusalem no longer exists, nor the sacrificial practices of that time, scapegoating is still present. In our day, it is a byword for blaming others for our own misfortunes and shortcomings. Rabbi Wittenberg further comments, “We have to recognize the impact of how we see and portray others, and make ourselves aware of the prejudices and projections with which we burden them and the evils we place on their heads. We must not evade the challenge of owning our faults and wrongdoings.”
As Jews, we understand the pain of being scapegoated. As such, we bear the responsibility of standing up for those who experience this humiliation in our time. How often do we hear purported leaders denouncing undocumented immigrants as criminals, murderers, or rapists? Native Americans often are characterized as drunks and illiterates.
The current, and frightening, increase in antisemitic incidents is a continued effort to make the Jew responsible for the awful behavior of others: “It was the Zionists’ (read: Jews!) subjugation of the Palestinian people in Gaza that forced Hamas to rape, murder, burn, and kidnap innocent Israelis!”
When the Jew fights back, it’s genocide. Hitler would never have murdered more than six million Jews had he not successfully made them into a scapegoat for the economic and social ills of Germany.
I leave the final thought to Rabbi Wittenberg: “How we relate to those others define us, both as individuals and societies. Unless we do so with honesty and integrity, there can be no atonement, no at-one-ment, and no healing in our violent, divided world.”
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