rabbi jonathan crane rabbicrane@gmail · rabbi jonathan crane rabbicrane@gmail.com of goats and...

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RabbiJonathanCrane

rabbicrane@gmail.com

OfGoatsandGods

ShabbatShalom.

It’swellknownMoseswasfondofYiddishaphorisms.Oneofhisfavorite

was,“Don’tapproachagoatfromthefront,ahorsefromtheback,orafoolfromany

side.”1TodayI’mgoingtotellasmalldavaraboutMosesperhapsfoolishly

approachingagoatfromthefront,side,topandbottom.

Inthisweek’sparashahMosesinstructsAarontocleantheTabernacle.

Includedinthisthanklesstaskisaritualinvolvingtwogoats.Oneofthegoats

Aaronhadtoslaughter.Theother,Mosessaid,wastobeearmarkedasanazazel

andwouldbesentoffintothewildernessasascapegoat.Butmystorydoesnot

reallyinvolvethesetwogoatsbutanother.LateronintheparashahMosesinstructs

Aaron,hissonsandallofIsraeltobringtheirsacrificiallivestocktotheTabernacle

toworshipAdonaiproperly.Thisisbecausetheyshouldnot,asMosessays

explicitly,“offertheirsacrificesanymoretothegoatsafterwhomtheystray.”2In

Moses’view,sacrificinganimalsoutintheopenawayfromtheTabernaclewas

tantamounttohomicide,andanyonewhodidsowastobecutofffromthe

1http://thinkexist.com/quotation/don-t_approach_a_goat_from_the_front-a_horse_from/8495.html2Leviticus17:7.

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communityorworse.3IthinkthatMoseswasnotmerelycentralizingthesacrificial

cult,hewassayingsomethingmoremysterious,devious–ifnotdevilish–withthis

statement.

For,yousee,Moseschuckledtohimself.Hethoughthewassocleversaying

thattheIsraelitesshouldnolongermakesacrificestothegoats(la’se’irim)after

whomtheystray.

Hekneweveryonewasfamiliarwiththewordforgoat,sa’ir,buthewantedtomake

aplayonwordsbyusingtheextremelyrarepluralformoftheword,se’irim.He

buffedhisfingernailswithpridewhenhethoughtaboutthefivedifferentways

se’irimcouldbeunderstood.

3Leviticus17:4.

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First,Mosesknewthatthewordsa’iralsomeanshairy.Perhapshemeant

thattheIsraelitesshouldnolongermakesacrificestothehairyonesafterwhom

theyhanker.MosesrecalledthatmostfamoushairypersoninthebiblewasEsau,

Jacob’sbrotherandIsaac’sson.4NotonlywasEsauhairy,hewasabelligerent

fellow.

MosesalsorecalledthattheTalmudicrabbisenvisionthatfromEsaucame

theEdomitekingdomandfromEdomcameRome.Mosesraisedhiseyebrowashe

contemplatedthepoliticalimplicationsofhisphrase:donotmakesacrificesany

moretothelong‐haired,marauding,anduncontrollableRomans.

Second,Moses,beingtheencyclopedicknow‐it‐allprophetthathewas,read

whatIsaiah,hispropheticcolleague,saysaboutse’irim.InIsaiah’sview,se’irim

4Genesis25:25.

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dwellinthewildernessamongsleepingbeasts,owlsandostriches.Itisthereamong

theseslumberinganimalsthatse’irimdance.5Andlateronwhenhedescribesthe

wastelandthatEdombecomes,Isaiahsays,“wildcatsshallmeethyenas,these’irwill

greeteachother,andtheLilithwillliedownandfindherselfarestingplace.”6Soto

Isaiahse’irimaresomesortofwildcreaturewholikestopartyitupandsocialize,

butdoessoinarespectfulmannerthatneighboringbeasts,fowlandevendemons

likethatmysteriousLilith,cansleepundisturbed.7Moseslikedthatperhapsthe

Israeliteswouldgetthemessagetobemoreaustere,lessfrivolousandwildintheir

sacrificialpractices.

Butthenagain,Mosesrecalledreadingtheearliesttranslationofthebible

intoAramaic,theTargumOnkelos,wheretheHebrewse’irimbecomestheAramaic

shedim.Moseschortledinaself‐satisfyingway,forhecertainlyknewaboutshedim,

becausehementionstheminDeuteronomy.Shedim,Mosessays,weresacrificedto,

buttheyaregodsofnoutilityanddonotinspirefear.8Healsoknewthatthe

psalmistlamentsthatpeoplesacrificechildrentoshedim.9HealsoknewthatIbn

Ezra,the12thCenturySpanishexegete,saysthatthepersonwhoseesshedim

becomesbodilyagitatedandshakeslikeastorm.Moreover,thesepeoplearecalled

5Isaiah13:21.6Isaiah34:14.7SeealsoRashiatLeviticus17:7.8Deuteronomy32:17.9Psalms106:37.

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meshugayim,abitwhacky,andmoreovertheshedimtheyseetaketheformsof

goats.10

MosesalsoknewthatNachmanides,the13thCenturykabbalistsage,thinks

thatshediminhabitonlydevastatedwastelandslikethedesert,thefurthestcorners

oftheearth,andtheextremecoldnorth.ParticularlyfascinatingtoMoseswas

Nachaminides’invocationofAristotle’sfourelements–earth,water,windandfire–

todescribetheshedim.Unlikehumanswhoarecomposedofallfourelements,only

twoarefoundinshedim:fireandwind.Moreover,theshedimhavesixfeatures,half

ofwhichtheysharewithhumans,andtheotherhalftheysharewiththeministering

angels.Whatshedimhaveincommonwithhumansisthattheyeatanddrink,they

procreate,andtheydie.Theirsimilaritiestoministeringangelsincludeshaving

wings,flyingfromoneendoftheworldtothenext,andknowingwhatthefuture

holds.11

Wow,thoughtMoses.Shedim,orse’irim,arepart‐humanandpart‐divine.

Couldtheybewingeddemi‐gods?Mosespausedforamomenttothink.Itcouldbe

argued,hereasoned,thatshedimwereliketheAkkadiandemi‐godssedu.Sedu

werewingedhouseholdprotectivedeities,andtheywerehalfhumanandhalfbull

orlion.Mosesshookhisheadsadly,recallingthatse’irimweremorebillythanbully

orfeline.Butperhaps,likeIbnEzraandNachmanides,othersmightlinkse’irimwith

shedim,andhelikedtheambiguityofitall.

10IbnEzraatLeviticus17:7.11RambanatLeviticus17:7;seealsoBTChagigah16a.

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YetMosescouldnotshakehimselfoftheideathatse’irimaredemi‐gods,half‐

humanandhalf‐divine,andtheytakegoatform.Familiarashewaswithallkindsof

theologies,MosesrecalledhearinginGreekmythologyaboutsatyrs.Ahah,hecried!

Asatyrhasahumanface,armsandtorso,anditstwolegsarethoseofagoat.When

mature,asatyrhashornsandanerectphallus.Andhere’sthecincher,asatyris

coveredinhair!

Moseswaselated.Satyrs,heremembered,aredemonsfamousfortheir

lasciviousnessandlustforpartyinghard.JustlookatFaunus,theboy‐satyrgodof

festivities,andhiswings.Hey,justlookatallthefaunsinancientandrenaissance

art.

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ButMosesscratchedhischin.Whataboutcentaurs?Couldse’irimbe

centaurs?Acentauralsohasahumanface,armsandtorso,butinsteadoftwo,ithas

fourlegs–muchlikeahorseor,inrarecases,agoat.

MosesrememberedreadingintheNYT,theNewYavnehTimes,thatcentaurs

areknowntoliveeverywherebetweenBabylonandMountPelioninGreeceduring

thattime.Itisreportedthatthesecentaurcommunitiesarewarlikeand

rambunctious,andtheychasewomen,and,accordingtothestylesection,theyare

notablyifnotroguishlyshaggy.

NowMoseswasfamiliarthatbothsatyrsandcentaurspopulateJewishlaw

andmidrashim.Indeed,heknewthattheTalmudicrabbisdebatewhetheranentity

borneofawomanthathasahumanfaceandthebodyofagoatistrulyhuman.12He

12BTNiddah23b.

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knewthatduringthetimeofEnosh,Adam’sgrandson,peoplewerenolongermade

inGod’simageonaccountoftheiridolatrouspractices.Rather,theyweremorelike

centaursthananythingelse–thoughthisdidnotstopthemfrominterbreedingwith

truehumans.13AndMosesknewthestoryoftheAfricanmilitaryking,Zepho,who

failedtooustJacobfromEgyptandfledtothelandofKittim.WhileinKittimZepho

wentinsearchofastrayoxonbehalfofthepeople.Outinthewildernesshe

discoveredacaveinwhichabeastthatwashalf‐manhalf‐goatanditwasdevouring

theveryoxhesought.Hekilledthatbeastandreceivedahero’swelcomeuponhis

returntoKittim.14

So,thoughtMoses,se’irimcouldrefertosatyrsandcentaurs,creaturesthat

sharethehumandrivetoprocreate,andareultimatelymortal.Buthowpersuasive

woulditbetosay“donotsacrificeanymoretothesatyrsafterwhomyoustray”?It

wouldbebettertosaythatsatyrsandcentaurspursuehumans,andnottheother

wayaround.Nonetheless,heshruggedbecausehelikedtheassociation.

Nowfinally,MosesrecalledreadingintheTalmudaboutRabbiEleazar,afirst

centuryPalestiniansage,whoasksthequestionseveraltimes,“howdoweknow

thatwhensomeonemakesasacrificetoMarkolisthatheisliableforaheinous

crime?”EleazaranswershisownquestionbyreferringtoMoses’words,“theyshall

notsacrificeanymoretothesi’irim.”15Mosespausedforamoment:whatis

13Genesis5:6;BereshitRabbah23.6.SeeTheLegendsoftheJews,I:123.Seealsopage423foranotherdiscussionofhybridspecies.14TheLegendsoftheJews,2:160.15BTAvodahZarah51a;BTSanhedrin61a;BTZevachim106a.SeealsoMAvodahZarah4.1.

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Markolis?Heruffledaroundamonghismythologybooksanddiscoveredthat

MarkolisisnoneotherthantheRomangodMercury,ortheGreekgodHermes.

Moreover,MercuryandHermesarefast‐movingfellows,whocangetfromoneend

oftheworldtotheotherbecauseoftheirwingedhatsandwingedsandals.

Moseslookedupintothedistancerecallingwhenhesawstatuesand

paintingsofthesegods,didn’ttheyhavegoatsnearby?Soitmakessense,Moses

criedout.Worshippingse’irimislikeworshippingafull‐fledgedpagangod!

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Slammingthebooksshut,Mosesfeltjustifiedbyhisbeliefthatworshippingse’irim

outintheopenisakindofidolatryandthustantamounttohomicidebecauseit

murdersproperworshipofAdonai,andthusitwarrantsexcommunicationoreven

execution.

LestIgetyourgoatbyroamingtoofarafield,letmeconcludehere.

WhileIamconvincedthatMosessaidtotheIsraelitesthattheyshouldnot

“offertheirsacrificesanymoretothesi’irimafterwhomtheystray,”andthathesaid

thistocentralizethesacrificialimpulseamongtheancientIsraelites.YetIremain

uncertainwhatMosesmeant.

Didhemeanthatse’irimaremerelyfurryandbleetinggoats?

Orisse’irimapoliticalreferencetobelligerentEsau,EdomandRome?

Orarese’irimsomesortofcreaturethatpartiesanddancesinthe

wilderness?

Orarese’irimshedim,demi‐gods,part‐humanandpart‐ministeringangel?

Orarese’irimsatyrsandcentaurs?

Orarese’irimanotherformofMercuryandHermesandhencemembersof

thepaganpantheon?Coulditbethatse’irimisbutanothernameforCapricornus?

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Icannotrightlysaywhichiscorrect.ButIcanenvisageMosessmugly

watchingusasweruminatethispuzzle,saying,“So,Nu!Whatdoyouthink?”

ShabbatShalom.