Azazel, Yom Hakippurim, and Yom Kippur

PIKESVILLE, Maryland — The terms “Azazel” and “Yom Hakippurim” are discussed in the biblical portion of Aharei Mot (16:1-18:30), but neither is part of Judaism today. There are radically different interpretations of “Azazel” and the ceremony no longer exists. Yom Hakippurim was replaced by Yom Kippur, which is not a biblical holiday.  Yet there is much we can learn from them.

The word Azazel is mentioned three times in the Book of Leviticus in 16:8, 16:10, and 16:21. In these verses, Azazel is associated with Yom Hakippurim, which will be discussed below. Leviticus 16:7-10 states that Moses’s brother, the High Priest Aaron:

–“should take the two goats and place them before the Lord at the door of the tent of meeting. Aaron should cast lots concerning the two goats, one for the Lord and the other l’Azazel. Aaron should bring the goat upon which the lot fell for the Lord as a sin offering. However, the goat on which the lot fell l’Azazel should be kept alive before the Lord to make atonement for him, to send it away into the wilderness, l’Azazel.” (We will discuss l’Azazel below.)

In verses 11 and 16, the Torah states that the high priest Aaron not only performs acts on this day of Yom Hakippurim for any misdeed he committed but also does so for his family and all Israelites.

The King James English translation of the Bible translates l’azazel not as “to Azazel” but “as a scapegoat.” The translators saw that the goat was unfairly blamed for Aaron’s, his family’s, and other Israelites’ misdeeds. The goat is the “fall guy” or “whipping boy” for the actions of others. Once the goat is set away, the misdeeds go with it, and the priest, his family, and all Israel are cleansed of past wrong behaviors.

This is not the Jewish interpretation. It is an example of why we must carefully use a Jewish translation and commentary to understand the Bible.

Azazel is interpreted differently in the various Greek translations of the Bible, the Latin Vulgate of Jerome, and Martin Luther’s translation. They see the word made up of the Hebrew word az, ”goat,” and the Aramaic root azal, “to go.” This makes the term mean “the goat that goes,” a description of the goat.

The mystic Nachmanides (1194–1270) and the generally but not always rational scholar Abraham ibn Ezra (1085-1167) identified Azazel as a demon. Some scholars interpret ibn Ezra as understanding that the goat was sent to the demon as a bribe, hoping he would intercede with God to forgive the Israelites for their misdeeds.

The Talmud Yoma 63b and Midrash Sifra Aharei Mot and other sources interpret Azazel more rationally. They see the word as strong and hard, as if it were written azz el, “hardest of the mountains,” describing the place where the goat is sent.

Maimonides gives the most sensible understanding. He explains that improper behavior cannot be taken from a person and transferred elsewhere. The ritual is symbolic and serves to impress people into repenting.

Yom HaKippurim is mentioned in the Torah in three primary passages: Leviticus 16:29-34, Leviticus 23:27-32, and Numbers 29:7-11. These sections detail the rituals and commandments associated with the day. As Maimonides explained, it was when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle and symbolically encouraged acts to remove misbehaviors.

Yom Kippur is not mentioned in the Bible. It is a non-biblical holiday that replaced Yom Hakippurim, a day on which only the high priest acted, when his principal act was to bring a sacrifice. When the temple was destroyed in 70 CE, sacrifices ceased, and Yom Hakippurim could no longer be observed. Our ancestors substituted Yom Kippur for the no longer existing Yom Hakippurim. Yom Kippur is different from Yom Hakippurim.

Yom Kippur is singular, a “day of atonement,” while Yom Hakippurim is plural, a “day of atonements.” It is plural because the High Priest atoned for himself, his family, and all Israel, while the average Israelites were passive; they only te’anu et nafshoteikhem, a biblical requirement which is obscure and may only mean that the average Israelite should reflect about his deeds. Yom Kippur is singular because each Jew observes it for him or herself.  When Yom Kippur was established, the biblical words in the prior sentence were interpreted to mean that the Jew must fast.

Unlike Yom Kippur, which is a sad fast day, Yom Hakippurim was not sad. During the second temple, the Israelites spent the afternoon with young men dancing with young women, a practice that led to many marriages.

This history of the creation of Yom Kippur, which many think is the most significant day in Judaism, should make us realize that the non-biblical holiday of Yom Kippur, while important, is not the most significant day in Judaism. The most important day is the biblical day Shabbat.

Shabbat is the metaphorical day, the time when God had finished creation, leaving humans to work with the laws of nature, which were part of the creation, laws that humans should use to improve themselves and all that God provided during the creation. The primary function of Shabbat is to improve. Yom Kippur also seeks improvement, but it stresses fixing mistakes.

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Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin is a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps and the author of more than 50 books.