At One-ment
September 24, 2012 - 5:00 am“Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.” — Leviticus 16:9 – 10
The Day of Atonement has a specific observance as described in the Bible, which revolved around two goats. Today, prayer and Bible readings take the place of that observance, but there is still much that we can learn from the practice that once was.
Here is what they did: Two goats were brought before the high priest. He cast lots to determine which goat would be sacrificed to the Lord, and which would be sent into the wilderness, bearing sins of the people. After the fate of each goat was decided, one goat was slaughtered and offered up to God, and the other was set free in the desert. When the free goat came to a cliff, he was pushed off. That was how he met his death.
What can we learn from this seemingly bizarre practice? What does it have to do with the personal changes we aim for on Yom Kippur?
Let’s take a look at this service from a different perspective – through the eyes of the goats. When the lots were cast, it would seem that the goat chosen for the wilderness received the better deal. His identical counterpart was immediately sacrificed while he was left alive. When the second goat got to the wilderness, it only confirmed that he got the better lot in life. He was set free to roam and do as he pleased. It was only at the last moment, when the goat realized he was about to meet his end, that he saw things differently. Perhaps the other goat was more fortunate than he.
Tradition teaches us that these two goats symbolize ways of living. The first goat represents those who chose to dedicate their lives to God. They nullify their will to His and give up their ego for the sake of God’s name. The second goat represents those who chose to live wild and free. They do whatever they please with no restrictions placed on them whatsoever.
These people look at God-serving individuals and pity them. But at some point, often just before they die, they consider that maybe they had been wrong all along. They recognize that everyone turns to nothingness eventually, but only some will have filled their lives with meaning.
Atonement is the same as “at one-ment.” When we choose to be at one with God, we are cleansed of all our sins. On Yom Kippur, we make this critical decision – do we live our lives in a wilderness of nothingness, or do we live a life filled with meaning and godliness? If we choose at one-ment, we will achieve atonement.
PLEASE explain to me something! If the “scapegoat” was set FREE, who was in the wilderness to push it over the cliff?! You said that as soon as it came to a cliff, it was pushed over. Who was there to do the dirty deed?!! Funny, my King James Bible simply says that the sair was let go in the wilderness and doesn’t mention ANYTHING about it being pushed over a cliff, am I missing something here Rabbi, was this practice something that was added by the sages who wrote the Talmud in Babylon?! If it was PUSHED over, then it DEFINATELY wasn’t set FREE!!! Please clarify.
THANK YOU LORD, FOR PUTTING YOUR BLADE TO MY NECK ON DECEMBER 5, 1975, WHEN MY ORIGINAL, OLD SIN-NATURE INNER MAN WAS EXECUTED ON THE STAKE WITH YESHUA’S DEATH & THE RUACH HAKODESH CAME TO LIVE IN ME NOW & FOR ETERNITY.
I ONCE WAS A GOAT (non-believing sinner), BUT NOW I AM A “SHEEP” WHO LIVES IN HASHEM’S FLOCK & ONLY HEARS HIS VOICE——BARUCH HASHEM !!!!!!
MSW
In conjunction with the observance of Yom Kippur, many Christians in America will be observing a national day of repentance. America has been guilty of the sin of idolatry, as well as moral and spiritual compromise, and that is why we have already seen judgments, both natural and manmade. The Intercessors of America have posted the following information:
“Pray for a national, grassroots, prayer project coming September 25 – 26, set to coincide with the Jewish day of atonement, Yom Kippur.
“The National Day of Repentance will hold at the grassroots level, across all Christian denominations, a day of fasting, prayer and repentance as was done in the Colonial times and during the Civil War. Those days were honored, as our forefathers humbled themselves and prayed and sought His face, and turned from their wicked ways, the Good Lord blessed this nation repeatedly. We now need this type of spiritual solution to the spiritual problems in our country.
“More information on the event, set for sundown Tuesday, September 25 through sundown Wednesday September 26, can be found on the website: http://www.dayofrepentance.org“.
I would just like to that God for already making atonement for the sins of the world through my Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ. To my Isreali brothers and sisters, God has sent the forgiveness you seek through Christ Jesus. He was in the begging with God and through Him all things were made. I urge you to study your Bible and see Him throughout the holy text.I urge you to call out to him to reveal Himself to you. He loves you and doesn’t want you to carry the burden of your sins for one more day. Let this most holy day be the day you meet the burden bearer and sin destroyer. You don’t have to look within yourself just look up to God and His answer to sin-Jesus Christ!