Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 16:8/אבן עזרא על ויקרא ט״ז:ח׳
אגרלות. ידועים מדברי קבלת אבותינו. אמר הגאון כי עזאזל שם הר ונקרא כן בעבור שהוא תקיף כי טעם זכר השם כטעם הררי אל יקותיאל והגאון הלוי תפשו כי האל״ף במלת עזאזל הוא בין זי״ן לזי״ן ויש אומרים שהוא הר סמוך אל הר סיני והשם צוה להוליך השעיר ולהעלותו שם עד שישחט ואחר כן היו מוליכים אותו בבית המקדש להר אחר והעד שאמר ויעש אהרן וכן בחג שבועות לפי דעתי כאשר אפרש במקומו ויש אומרים כי עבודת בית שני לא היתה כראשון כי היה הכהן מחוסר בגדים ואין כפרת וזה המפרש אמר כי השעיר ישלח במדבר כי כן כתוב ושלח את השעיר במדבר וטעמו כטעם צפור המטהר מהצרעת שהוא על פני השדה מקום שאין שם ישוב והעד אל ארץ גזרה ואנחנו השיבונו כי השעיר ישלחו במדבר כאשר הוא כתוב וירדוף אחריו עד שיברח ויעל אל הצור על כן אמרו חז״ל ודוחפו ואמר רב שמואל אף על פי שכתוב בשעיר החטאת שהוא לשם גם השעיר המשתלח הוא לשם ואין צריך כי המשלח 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:
1LOTS. We know what they are from the words of our sages.31 36a. The Gaon32 says that Azazel is the name of a mountain. It is so called because of its might.33 63a. Azazel is a combination of az (strong) and el (tall). Azazel thus means mighty and tall mountain (Krinsky). God’s name34 is mentioned in Azazel as it is in ke-harere el (the mighty mountains) (Ps. 36:7) and in yakti’el (Joktheel) (II Kings 14:7). The Gaon, the Levite,35 caught him in error. He pointed out that the alef of Azazel is placed between one zayin and the other zayin.36 in it, for the word is spelled ayin, zayin, alef, zayin lamed. There are those who say that Azazel is the name of a mountain close to Mount Sinai. God commanded that the goat be led and brought up there until it slipped down the mountain. Later on in the time of the temple, they led it to a different mountain. “And Aaron did” (v. 34) is proof of this.37. I.E.’s point is that Scripture goes out of the way to state that Aaron did as God commanded him in the wilderness, for later on when Israel entered Israel some parts of the Yom Kippur ritual were performed a bit differently. The sending of the goat to Mount Azazel is an example. The same, in my opinion, as I will explain in its place,38 is true of the festival of Shavu’ot.39 There are those who say that the service40 during the second temple was unlike that of the first, for the kohen41 lacked the garments42., the ephod, its band, the breastplate, and the robe. and there was no ark-cover. This commentator says that the goat was sent into the wilderness, for Scripture states, and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness (v. 22).43 The latter is similar in meaning to the bird of the one who is cleansed from leprosy44 which is sent into the open field, an uninhabited place. A land which is cut off45 (v. 22) is proof of this.46 We answered him that they sent the goat into the wilderness as it is written.47 However, the goat was pursued48 until it fled and climbed up a rock. The rabbis therefore said, “and he49 pushes it down.”50 67a. The point is that since a person accompanied the goat it was possible for him to push the goat off the mountain. Rabbi Samuel51 says that even though it is written that the goat offered as a sin offering is to be offered to God, the goat that was sent was also offered to God. There is no need for this interpretation, for the goat sent into the wilderness did not serve as an offering since it was not slaughtered. If you are able to understand the secret that follows Azazel52 (for Azazel into the wilderness). According to I.E. the word ha-midbarah is the key to understanding the meaning of Azazel. then you will know its secret and the secret of its name, for it has comrades in Scripture.53 (goat) and azal (to go). There are many such compound names in Scripture. Compare, Emmanuel (God is with us). According to I. E. the meaning of la-azazel ha-midbarah is, for a goat that goes into the wilderness. I will reveal a bit of its secret to you in a hint. When you are thirty-three, you will understand it.54 (satyrs). According to I.E. the se’irim were demons that had the shape of goats. Now it is not clear what the purpose was of sending the goat to demons who were shaped like goats. According to Nahmanides the goat was a gift to Satan so that he would not interfere with Israel’s sacrifice. However, it is doubtful that I.E. had this in mind. Weiser suggests that the goat was sent to a place of demons so that the sins which it (literally or symbolically) bore would not contaminate people, for demons dwell in a place which is uninhabited.