Parashat Achare Mot - Kedoshim
Who Won the Lottery?
Parashat Acharei-Mot describes the service that was performed in the Beit Hamikdash on Yom Kippur. One of the rituals involved two Se'irim, goats, one of which was offered as a standard sacrifice, while the other was carried by a Kohen into the wilderness and cast off a cliff. The two Se'irim would be brought to the Kohen Gadol who would conduct a lottery to determine which of the goats would be offered as a sacrifice, and which would be condemned to Azazel – to death in the wilderness.
To explain the meaning behind this ritual, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch suggests that we try to imagine what the second goat might be thinking during this process. At first glance, it appears that he "won the lottery." He watches as the first goat is slaughtered in the Temple, its skin is removed, its blood is sprinkled on the altar, and its body is burned. In the meantime, a special Kohen comes to take him, the second goat, with all the distinguished members of the Jewish people looking on. He is led through the streets of Jerusalem and taken along a scenic route out into the wilderness. All throughout, he likely thinks to himself, "I got the better deal; the poor, other goat was brutally killed, while I get to remain alive and be treated with honor!"
Suddenly, the Kohen stops and prepares to cast the goat off the mountain. At that moment, the goat realizes that he, in fact, was the loser. True, the first goat was killed, it had to make the ultimate sacrifice, but at least it made a sacrifice to God. But he, as it turns out, is doomed to die in an empty wilderness. It may have appeared all along that he was the winner, but in the end it became clear that the first goat, which was sacrificed to God, was the one who won the lottery.
Rabbi Hirsch explained that this very same concept applies to religious and secular life. A non-observant Jew may likely see himself as the "winner," as the one who has the better end of the deal. He is not bound in his mind by the many restrictions and obligations of religious life. He can eat whatever he wants, he is not required to arise early in the morning to go to synagogue, he does not have to provide his children with a Torah education, and so on. A non-observant Jew might look upon the religious Jew with pity, as he has to work so hard and sacrifice so much to God, while he is allowed to enjoy the comforts and pleasures of secular life.
But ultimately, it becomes clear that the first goat, the observant Jew, is the real winner. True, he lives a life of "sacrifice." But through his sacrifice he earns eternal life with God, while secular life leads to eternal "Azazel," an empty wasteland. Unfortunately, many people face this reality only at the last moment, like the second goat, shortly before the death, when they can no longer change their fate. Fortunate is the one, Rabbi Hirsch writes, who realizes his mistakes earlier in life, when he still has the opportunity to change his lifestyle.
Although religious life demands difficult sacrifice, in truth it is the winning "lottery ticket," as it leads a person to eternal happiness, eternal bliss, and eternal blessing.
