rabbi jonathan crane rabbicrane@gmail · rabbi jonathan crane [email protected] of goats and...
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RabbiJonathanCrane
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.