Two Goats
Chassidic Story | March 31, 2026
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Two Goats

Chassidic Story | March 31, 2026

The 2 goats Rivka made for Yaacov’s blessings was on erev Pasach.

Others say it was on Yom Kipur. But how would Yitzchak have eaten on Yom Kippur!? Therefore we must say everyone agrees it was erev Peach. So why bring the thought it might have been Yom Kippur?

Yom Kippur has two goats and Peach has two goats--the Yom Tov sacrifice and the pascal lamb. Yom Kippur has the one that was shechted and brought on the alter by the Kohen Gadol and the goat that would be thrown off the cliff in the desert to atone for our sins.

So there is a hint in the 2 goats of Pasach to the service of Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur however manifests the service of pushing away, physicality [fasting etc.] While the service of Pasach is to turn over physicality to holiness after separating the bad and completely destroying it by burning it up erev Pesach. After destroying the bad completely we bring the Pasach goats and finally consume them at the Seder in a relaxed and happy way signifying freedom from constriction –transforming the physical to holiness. We eat them even after bodily satisfaction has already been accomplished.

But the hint to Yom Kippur of the two goats is that the service of Yom Kippur is also a transformation of physicality to holiness as manifest by the fact that Yitzchak ate the goats. So even though they really symbolized the Peach offering they hinted to the service of Yom Kippur.

The 2 goats Rivka made for Yaacov’s blessings was on erev Pasach.

Others say it was on Yom Kipur. But how would Yitzchak have eaten on Yom Kippur!? Therefore we must say everyone agrees it was erev Peach. So why bring the thought it might have been Yom Kippur?

Yom Kippur has two goats and Peach has two goats--the Yom Tov sacrifice and the pascal lamb. Yom Kippur has the one that was shechted and brought on the alter by the Kohen Gadol and the goat that would be thrown off the cliff in the desert to atone for our sins.

So there is a hint in the 2 goats of Pasach to the service of Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur however manifests the service of pushing away, physicality [fasting etc.] While the service of Pasach is to turn over physicality to holiness after separating the bad and completely destroying it by burning it up erev Pesach. After destroying the bad completely we bring the Pasach goats and finally consume them at the Seder in a relaxed and happy way signifying freedom from constriction –transforming the physical to holiness. We eat them even after bodily satisfaction has already been accomplished.

But the hint to Yom Kippur of the two goats is that the service of Yom Kippur is also a transformation of physicality to holiness as manifest by the fact that Yitzchak ate the goats. So even though they really symbolized the Peach offering they hinted to the service of Yom Kippur.

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