A focus on the goats of the Yom Kippur avodah. They have to be alike exactly – but how identical can they be? Which leads to the lottery to select each for its respective role. But what if one of these two goats dies? Before the lottery? After the lottery? Did a goat ever actually die under these circumstances (on Yom Kippur), or is the Gemara simply exploring the possibilities? Plus, the identity of this goat as the classic and first “scapegoat,” and the Christian application of the concept to vicarious atonement. Also, the rationale for two goats, no fewer and no more, and identical, or close to it, but not necessarily (which is confusing and circular, yes).
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