Sermon: "Atonement: Getting the Goat on Yom Kippur"

Sep 29, 2025
1 min read

Next Wednesday is one of the holiest days in the Jewish Calendar, Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. It occurs ten days after Rosh Hoshana, the Jewish New Year. The Hebrew Bible has elaborate rituals for Yom Kippur which are supposed to atone for any wrongs which have been committed in the year just past. They involve the sacrifice of animals, including two goats. The high priest places his hands on the head of one of the goats and releases it into the wilderness. This animal is called the scapegoat. How does the scapegoat enter into modern concepts of right and wrong?

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