3

Rashi (Vayikra 16:8) says:

Azazel: This is a strong and hard mountain, [with] a high cliff, as the Scripture says [in describing Azazel] (verse 22 below),“a precipitous land (אֶרֶץ גְּזֵרָה),” meaning a cut-off land [i.e., a sheer drop]. — [Torath Kohanim 16:28; Yoma 67b]

If Azazel refers to a mountain in Eretz Yisrael, where was goat sent before we entered Eretz Yisrael?

Dov
  • 32,729
  • 3
  • 27
  • 85
chaimp
  • 2,171
  • 12
  • 17
  • 3
    Azazel refers to a specific mountain?? Do you have a source for that? – Double AA May 04 '12 at 18:13
  • Rashi (as translated on chabad.org) says: Azazel: This is a strong and hard mountain, [with] a high cliff, as the Scripture says [in describing Azazel] (verse 22 below),“a precipitous land (אֶרֶץ גְּזֵרָה),” meaning a cut-off land [i.e., a sheer drop]. — [Torath Kohanim 16:28; Yoma 67b] – chaimp May 04 '12 at 19:18
  • I take this to refer to a specific location. In fact, here is a picture of "Mount Azazel": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Herodion_IMG_0627.JPG – chaimp May 04 '12 at 19:19
  • 1
    Wikipedia gives no source for why that is the mountain. In fact, it isn't even mentioned in the text, just in the picture's caption. I'm afraid you'll have to do better to convince me. – Double AA May 04 '12 at 19:52
  • Same thing here: http://littmann613.blogspot.com/2010/11/mount-azazel.html

    It says that " this site is believed, by many , to be the mountain peak where the “Seir L'Azazel” was pushed to its death during the Yom Kippur service at the time of the Bais HaMikdash." I don't know about the source though.

     – chaimp May 04 '12 at 22:34
  • 1
    Chaim, not that I have any source for this, but couldn't the description of Azazel as being "a strong and hard mountain, [with] a high cliff, etc." as a particular kind of mountain, rather than a specific mountain? – HodofHod May 09 '12 at 13:42
  • ואין צריך, כי המשתלח איננו קרבן כי לא ישחט ואם יכולת להבין הסוד שהוא אחר מלת עזאזל, תדע סודו וסוד שמו, כי יש לו חברים במקרא ואני אגלה לך קצת הסוד ברמז, בהיותך בן שלשים ושלש תדענו. (Ibn Ezra, Lev. 16:8) –  Mar 21 '13 at 06:52
  • Could somebody translate? Thanks – chaimp Mar 21 '13 at 07:13
  • Prior to that particular comment, Ibn Ezra had listed various explanations from others of the word עזאזל, including the one that supposes it is a mountain, as mentioned above. –  Mar 21 '13 at 19:32
  • But he, says, "There is no need, because the [goat] sent away is not a sacrifice, since it is not slaughtered. One may know the secret that is after the word עזאזל. You may know his secret and the secret of his name, because he has companions in scripture. And, I will reveal part of the secret to you by a hint. When you are thirty-three years old, you may know it." Why "33"? –  Mar 21 '13 at 19:32
  • Count 33 verses from Lev. 16:8 which is the first verse in which the word עזאזל occurs, and you end up at Lev. 17:7 wherein it is written, "וְלֹא־יִזְבְּחוּ עֹוד אֶת־זִבְחֵיהֶם לַשְּׂעִירִם." Rashi writes that לַשְּׂעִירִם means לשדים. In short, עזאזל is a demon. That's the gist of it. –  Mar 21 '13 at 19:32
  • Ah, interesting. How does that accord with Chazal's defining it as a cliff as Rashi brings? (I understand that there is Torat Nistar, but I wonder the correlation between a cliff and a demon.( – chaimp Mar 22 '13 at 01:57
  • Related: Ritual locations during the times of the Mishkan – Joel K Jul 24 '21 at 22:14

1 Answers1

2

Rabbi Prof. Yoel Elitzur wrote in his book "Makom Ba'Parasha", pg. 425 (my translation):

"First of all, we must remember that Yerushalayim was only chosen in the time of David and Shlomo. Prior to that, the Tabernacle was in different places, but the mitzva of the work of Yom Kippur always existed. Meaning, "Azazel in the desert", if that's a title with geographic significance (and not the name of a demon or angel, as many of the ancients and moderns thought), then it's not a specific location in the world but a general title for a place in the desert that has a cliff from which the goat can be thrown, as it says "to an inaccessible region; and the goat shall be set free in the wilderness" (Vayikra 16:22). And from here we see that the cliff that the goat was led to near Yerushalayim was not [commanded] from the Torah [me'de'oraita]."

Harel13
  • 25,676
  • 4
  • 58
  • 136