Do you ever suspect that some people “have it” and some don’t? Do you worry that you belong to the “have nots”? Perhaps this thinking has even interfered with your religious life. Other people supposedly have a knack for spirituality, and you wish you did too.
This week's parsha, Acharei Mot, uproots this paradigm. We read about a procedure on Yom Kippur where two goats are selected. One is offered on the mizbeach, and the other is sent to the wilderness. Which goat goes where is determined by lots.
“And Aharon will cast lots on the two male goats, one lot is for Hashem and one lot is for Azazel (Vaykira 16:8).”
While these two goats have radically different fates, the halacha is that they must begin alike. They must be similar in appearance, height, size, and value, and selected to be offerings at the same time. Why is this so?
Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch offers a fascinating answer. Each goat potentially can have the fate of the other. This symbolizes that each one of us is like that goat! We have the power to choose. We can be holy, taking the path of freedom and self-mastery. Or we can submit entirely to our senses and wander astray. We can bring ourselves to the mizbeach or pursue a no-man’s land.
That the particulars of the two goats must be identical shows it’s not our innate characteristics that determine our spiritual growth. It’s the decision to direct ourselves, with whatever traits we have, in the right way.
In this light, we can understand the diversity of blessings Yaakov gave to his sons. Each son can excel by utilizing his distinct characteristics. The package that is you is not a mistake. The mistake is not accepting it and not taking advantage of it.
We can find encouragement in Rav Hirsch’s message. We live in a world of competition and comparisons, with differences emphasized. Success is for some and not for others. The Torah outlook is diametrically opposed. People in all their variety can be “for Hashem.” Everyone can reach the mizbeach.