A goat to Azazel

134. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). It is commanded that the High Priest should perform the service of that day as need be, and should dispatch the goat to Azazel. The secret is as you said, in order THAT THE OTHER SIDE be separated from the Holy Nation and not make demands for their sins before the King. He should not accuse them, as he has neither strength nor authority but when anger is intensified above. With this gift OF THE GOAT TO AZAZEL, he is then converted to be their guardian. As a result he is banished from before the King. We established that this is so, because he represents the end of all flesh.

135. The Holy Nation gives to him what is needed for him, NAMELY a goat (Heb. seir). This is the secret of "Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy (Heb. sa'ir) man" (Beresheet 27:11), AS HE IS AN ASPECT OF THE OTHER SIDE. IT CONTAINS MALE AND FEMALE CHARACTERISTICS, and just as in the side of holiness there is male and female, so too in the side of defilement there exist a male and female. A popular saying goes like this: Throw a bone to a dog and he will lick the dust off your feet; HERE ALSO, WE GIVE TO THE OTHER SIDE A GOAT AND HE IS CONVERTED TO BE A DEFENDER.

136. They ask ben Zoma: Is it permissible FOR US to emasculate a dog? He replies, "Neither shall you do thus in your land" (Vayikra 22:24). THE MEANING IS, you shall not do thus to anything in your land, EVEN TO A DOG, for as the world needs one thing, it needs another, MEANING THERE IS NOTHING IN THE WORLD THAT IS NOT NEEDED. Therefore, we learned that "and, behold, it was very good" (Beresheet 1:31) refers to the Angel of Death that he should not be blotted from the world, BECAUSE the world needs him. Even though it is written about him, THE ANGEL OF DEATH, "Yea, the dogs are greedy, they never have enough..." (Yeshayah 56:11). IT IS NOT GOOD that they should become extinct from the world. Everything is needed, BOTH good and bad.

137. Hence, we need on this day to throw a bone to the dog, MEANING THE GOAT OF AZAZEL. While he is dragging THE BONE, people may enter the palace of the King and no one dares to stop them, FOR THE ACCUSER IS PREOCCUPIED WITH HIS GIFT. Afterwards, he will still be wagging his tail, MEANING HE WILL BECOME A DEFENDER.

138. It is written, "And confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Yisrael" (Vayikra 16:21) and "the goat shall bear upon it all their iniquities" (Ibid. 22). When THE OTHER SIDE sees this goat, his desire towards it IS AROUSED to be with it, and he does not know which of the sins the goat took upon himself. He then returns to Yisrael and sees that they are free and clear of sins and blemishes, as all sins are upon the head of the goat. He ascends and praises them before the Holy One, blessed be He. The Holy One, blessed be He, pays attention to the testimony of the accuser and, since His desire is to have mercy on His people, He extends mercy to Yisrael even though He is aware of all that transpired.

139. The entire REMEDY depends upon this, not to arouse the secret of the Judgment on high and thus intensify this Judgment to annihilate mankind. All this can come from harsh Judgment. If this JUDGMENT is awakened, it is awakened by the sins of mankind, since it is aroused to ascend high up to instigate the harsh Judgment only if it is as a result of the sins of mankind. When a person commits a sin, it gathers and joins other thousands who assist it. They assemble there and take it so as to bring it up. May the Merciful One protect us. For all of this, The Holy One, blessed be He, gave counsel to Yisrael to be save in every aspect, as it is written: "Happy is the people, that is in such a case: Happy is that people, whose Elohim is Hashem" (Tehilim 144:15). End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd).