5786/2026
In this week’s Parashah, Acharei Mot–Kedoshim, the Torah introduces two goats that were brought before the Kohen Gadol. One was offered as a Korban, and the other was sent away - “La’Azazel”. The Torah says, “ViNasa HaSa'ir Alav Et Kol Avonatam El Eretz Gizeira” - the goat shall carry upon itself all their sins to a desolate land. Most people do not realize is that this very scene gave rise to the modern-day psychological term, “scapegoat.”
The word first entered the English language in the 1500s, when William Tyndale translated the Torah into English. In describing the “Se’ir La’Azazel”, he used the phrase “escape goat”, the goat that escapes into the wilderness carrying away the sins of the nation. Over time, “escape goat” was shortened and transformed into the word we know today: scapegoat. But what is fascinating is that the modern meaning of the word has drifted far from the original meaning in the Torah. Today, a “scapegoat” is someone who is unfairly blamed for problems they did not create. When things go wrong, people often look for someone else to carry the fault. It is always easier to point a finger than to hold up a mirror. Blame may be emotionally satisfying in the moment, but it rarely solves anything.
After a particularly difficult day, a man came home after an exhausting day at work. His work presentation had gone badly, clients were upset, traffic was miserable, and nothing was going his way. By the time he walked through the door, he was heated with frustration, complaining about every detail of his day. His son sat nearby listening quietly. When the father finally paused, the boy asked innocently, “Abba, did anybody today say it was your fault?”
The child was not insulting him. He was revealing something profound: sometimes, when everyone else is to blame, we never focus on growing ourselves. That is exactly where the Torah’s scapegoat differs from society’s scapegoat.
Before the goat was sent away, the Kohen Gadol first placed his hands on it and confessed: “VeHitvada Alav Et Kol Ovonot Bnei Yisrael” - Vidui came first. Responsibility came first. The goat was never a tool to avoid the sins we committed, but rather a symbol that came only after it had already been acknowledged. The Rambam writes (Hilchot Teshuvah 1:1) that every process of teshuvah begins with Vidui B’Peh - verbally admitting wrongdoing.
Seforno explains that this ceremony was meant for the Jewish people to have recognition and humility. The goat itself did not create forgiveness. Teshuvah and confession created forgiveness.
Rav Jonathan Sacks z”l, in his book Covenant & Conversation, explains that this idea reflects a broader vision of Judaism: holiness is not about escaping the world, but about elevating it from within. Torah life is not a “blame culture,” where responsibility is constantly shifted outward, but a “covenant culture,” where people share responsibility for building a moral society together. This leads into “Kedoshim Tihiyu, Ki Kadosh Ani.” Kedushah does not begin with never making mistakes. Kedushah begins when a person stops searching for someone to blame and starts asking, “What is my role? What can I fix about myself?”
A person who always needs a scapegoat remains stuck. Every failure belongs to someone else. Every flaw is external. But a person who accepts responsibility has already begun to change. And perhaps that is the deepest irony of the English word itself. “Scapegoat” originated in the Torah, yet its modern-day meaning has become the opposite of the Torah’s lesson. Real growth begins when we start taking responsibility into our own hands.