We read in Parashat Ahareh-Mot of the special service that the Kohen Gadol would perform in the Bet Ha’mikdash each year on Yom Kippur. This service included two goats which were sacrificed to atone for the nation’s sins. The Kohen Gadol would cast lots to determine the goats’ fates: one goat would be offered as a sacrifice in the Bet Ha’mikdash, its blood sprinkled in the Kodesh Ha’kodashim (the innermost chamber of the Bet Ha’mikdash), and the other would be sent to “Azazel” – the desert outside Jerusalem, where it was thrown off a cliff, symbolizing the banishment of Beneh Yisrael’s sins.

Rav Moshe Alshich (Sefat, 1508-1593) raises the question of why the Torah requires the Kohen Gadol to draw lots. Why couldn’t the Kohen Gadol simply choose on his own which goat should be sacrificed in the Temple, and which should be sent into the wilderness?

The Alshich answers this question based on the comments of the Midrash regarding the story told in the Book of Melachim I (chapter 18) about the prophet Eliyahu and the pagan prophets. Eliyahu assembled the nation at Mount Carmel, where he posed a challenge to the prophets of the pagan god Ba’al. He said that they would offer a sacrifice to their deity, after which he would offer a sacrifice to G-d, and the one whose sacrifice received a response would then be proven to be real. (In the end, G-d responded to Eliyahu’s sacrifice with a heavenly fire, proving to all the people that He was the true Creator who governs the universe.) Eliyahu invited the prophets of Ba’al to choose one of two bulls for their offering, and they selected one. The Midrash relates that the bull refused to go along with the pagan prophets, as it did not wish to be offered as a sacrifice to a false deity. Eliyahu then approached the bull and whispered in its ear, urging it to proceed.

“You should know,” Eliyahu said to the bull, “that through you, too, the Name of heaven is being sanctified, when they see that no fire will come from the heavens for you, as it will for Hashem.” The bull then went along with the prophets of Ba’al.

The Alshich explains that on Yom Kippur, too, if the Kohen Gadol would himself choose which of the two goats would be sent to the desert, this goat would be resentful, envying the other goat, which would have the privilege of being offered a sacrifice in the Bet Ha’mikdash. In order to avoid this resentment and jealousy, the Torah commanded that the Kohen Gadol should cast lots, such that the goat destined to be brought to the desert would not resent the Kohen Gadol for designating it for this purpose.

The Alshich adds that for this reason, the Torah writes that after the lottery, the goat designated to be led into the wilderness “shall stand alive before G-d” (“Ya’omad Hai Lifneh Hashem” – 16:10), emphasizing that this goat, too, is special, having been chosen to be brought “before G-d” in order to atone for the people.

Of course, the Alshich concludes, it seems very peculiar that the Torah would concern itself with the feelings of a goat. Clearly, the goat knows nothing about the difference between its fate and the fate chosen for the other goat. However, the Alshich explains, the Torah’s intent here is to warn us about the dangers of jealousy. The Torah requires a system that is designed to avoid the goat’s jealousy – even though the goat, quite obviously, would not feel jealous – to teach us that we must do what we can to avoid envy among people. Envy, as we all know, is a very powerful emotion, one which can destroy relationships and inflict great harm. The lots cast by the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur teach us about how far we must go to avoid causing people jealousy, so that we avoid the catastrophic consequences of jealousy.

This is especially important when it comes to parenting. We need to look no further than the story of Yosef and his brothers to see how preferential treatment toward a child can destroy a family. Parents must be exceedingly careful not to arouse a child’s jealousy by showing special love or preference for their other children. Every effort must be taken to ensure that each and every child feels equally loved, cherished and respected, and never feels inferior to, or less important than, any other child.

More lectures from Rabbi Eli Mansour

Pirke Avot 1:1

Beki'im BaHalacha- Siman 56 - Preface: Kadish Yatom - The Mourners Kadish

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Pirke Avot - Perek 1 Mishna 1 - Lo BaShamayim Hee

Parashat Aharae-Mot- Avoiding Jealousy

Beki'im BaHalacha - Siman 56 - Text of Kaddish and Its Interpretation - Halachot 44-45 / siyum for vol.1