Acharei Mot - No More Blame

I love to play baseball, black-jack and the blame-game. Baseball I love because when it is played well two great competitors square off and the best man wins. Blackjack is fun because it is a game of chance and always surprising, at least to me. And I love the blame game because I am always right and you're always wrong.

I am so good at the blame game because I play it all the time in my head. I am constantly playing the blame game. I have figured out how to blame Obama for my financial blunders in 2010, there was that R rated show I watched totally Trump’s fault, and then there was that time I went out of control on a total sugar binge, yep, Cookie Monster and Tickle Me Elmo responsible for that one.

I got made skill game when it comes to blame. I am faster than dirty harry on the draw and hit harder than his 44 magnum.

You never heard the saying, “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.” Listen, you laugh because you know the game well, don’t you.

Lean to your neighbor tell them: Don’t hate me, hate the game.

Game recognizes game.

We: We are all T-Shirt wearing, #get your blame-on

Just look to our current legal system. Most of us remember the famous Affluenza case. A headline recently said “Pimp sues Nike for 100 million?” Why, “He beat a guys face in with the shoe” and you know “Nike should have a warning label so you don’t do things like that.” A billboard from a lawyer reads, “Just because you did it does not mean your guilty.”

Listen, that Lawyer there is like the MVB in this game.

Isn’t it crazy how we carry lawsuits against people in our back-pocket:

I did not get that promotion because of ….

If she would stop nagging me then I….

I would stop looking at what I am looking at on computer if she

I would speak well of him if he made more money….

Or I would stop drinking so much if he would just…

Or, I would not scream at my children if they would just…

The ego likes blaming, the ego uses blaming like a bouncer at a bar. Blaming has a way of keeping people away from the real story. The real story that I did not get the promotion because I did not put in the work. The real story that I am impatient and not a good listener. The real story that I don’t really feel like I am good enough. The real story about my pain avoidance, my intolerance for discomfort.

When we're guilty, it's tempting to blame others for our choices. Have your ever woken up in the middle of the night and thought, I really screwed up. And your second thought is, I need to get out of this. I need to make this work. I need an easy fix. So you next thoughts are, “I messed up but who else is to blame? Who else was responsible for this mess?”

I am not trying to say nothing bad has ever happened to you. I am not trying to say that horrible things have not happened: racism, homophobia, rape, slander, gossip.

We live in a world where terrible, no good, very bad things, happen all the time.

Don’t you want to live in a world where you have real relationship, real belonging, real shalom. As long as you are in the blame game, you can’t. As long we continue the blame game it proves we are still Adam’s slaves. Remember, how easy it was for Adam to blame God and Eve, Eve blamed the serpent and the serpent well he did not blame in anyone because he was not trying to hide who he really was. As long as they blamed someone else, there was nothing for them to work on. No growth.

Here is the truth about blame: When I blame, I stay the same. There is no growth. No improvement, no relational development, no real honesty about your story, and no moving forward. I know many a people who every day put on the full armor of blame: the breastplate of “I am right,” the sword of “you made me do this,” the helmet of “seeing things my way,” the Shield of Non-Accountability whereby we quench every fiery dart of being held personally responsible for anything, and the belt of my truth is the truth. Unfortunately, sadly, tragically people think this is the armor of God.

Here is where our Torah portion gives us more than a path but a cure, a cure to this toxic poison called “blame.”

Our Torah portion bring us back to the story of Adab and Nabihu but in a way it reminds us that all sin is strange fire and the sacred and the secular spaces can’t be treated the same way. Leviticus 16:1–2:

Leviticus 16:1–2 TLV

Then Adonai spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they approached the presence of Adonai and died. Adonai said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holiest Place behind the curtain —before the atonement cover which is on the Ark—so that he would not die. For I will be appearing in the cloud over the atonement cover.

This word atonement, I believe is French in origin and simply means “at-one-ment” or expiation of anything separates you from me. Most people understand this day as the day, the moment where separation from God is brought to an end. Two goats chosen by Lot.

“And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel.” (Leviticus 16:8, ESV)

Leviticus 16:8 ESV

And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel.

The ESV presents Azazel as a proper name, this would have been the name of a Demon, perhaps a name for Satan himself. The TLV and some other translations break up the proper name Azazel into OZ and Azel which mean roughly “the goat of sending off” or “scapegoat.”

We know the goat for the LORD will be sacrificed, it’s blood taken into the holy of holies, and it’s blood will cleans everything and the result it says is that it will make atonement:

“And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering,” (Leviticus 16:9, ESV)

Leviticus 16:9 ESV

And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering,

And it makes atonement before God:

Leviticus 16:15–17 ESV

“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.

This goat takes no blame on himself, his blood simply expunges, expiates, removes what ultimately separated Israel from their God: uncleanness, transgressions, and sins. For the priest these were the three big categories of evil. Uncleanness was failure to prioritize the sacred from the secular, transgression was willful and want-ful breaking of God’s Law and Sin was not hitting the mark.

The Life of the Innocent was accepted as payment for the wicked. This was the goat that you wept for when it was chosen, this goat was the innocent one.

Lot’s in Israel were not games of chance but interpretations of God’s will. No one in Israel would have thought this goat “happened” to have lot fall on him, he or she would have thought, “the Lord chose the Lot to fall on him.” This goat was chosen and innocent. That is a tragic but beautiful picture.

That goat makes an atonement for us and God. But the other Goat, the one for Azazel.

“And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel.” (Leviticus 16:8, ESV)

Leviticus 16:8 ESV

And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel.

This goat is important for atonement to be full and complete. It says so…

“but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.” (Leviticus 16:10, ESV)

Leviticus 16:10 ESV

but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.

This goat will not be slaughtered. That is perfect logic. After all, if we slaughter a goat that belongs to Azazel then we are not just committing idolatry but satanic idolatry. Yet, this goat will make atonement by having something put over it.

“And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.” (Leviticus 16:20–22, ESV)

Leviticus 16:20–22 ESV

All of the iniquities the first goat cleansed from the Tabernacles are now verbally pronounced over this second goat for Azazel. All the iniquities, those are inner thoughts that are deep and crooked, transgression are the willful acts against God’s laws and sin is failure to hit the mark.

This goat for Azazel goes to the wilderness carrying our sins but how does he help atonement at all? I mean, the first goat atoned for my sins before God but the second? Why do we need it? It also makes atonement? Leviticus 16:10 says so.

First, remember this was no friendly neighborhood goat. The moment the lot fell upon it and its true identity was discovered there was disdain. This animal was the evil plaguing Israel. This beast was the agent of Satan of evil itself.

You say Michael, people in the ancient world might have blamed animals for things but we don’t do that today. Really, okay, how about the Curse of the Billy Goat was a sports-related curse that was supposedly placed on the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball franchise in 1945, by Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis. The curse lasted 71 years, from 1945 to 2016. We lived in Chicago in Wriggleyville this was a thing, for real.

What’s that you saw, people in the midwest are out of their mind and drink too much. Okay, well every year Groundhog Day celebrated in Canada and the United States on February 2 comes from a Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day sees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and winter will persist for six more weeks, and if it does not see its shadow because of cloudiness, spring will arrive early. People live by this thing and believe it.

My favorite of all, Rabbit’s Foot have and luck will shine on you. Or, black cats, Yikes, in Amazon pink dolphins. Yeah, ink dolphins were humans once, and will transform into humans at night and steal children from their homes.

We don’t just think animals can carry bad things or good things. We think humans can be these carries of fortune or misfortune. Recently, a large retailer was hacked. The retailer responded by firing two top executives. Top executives who were no where near where the hack happened, so removed from it, it is hard to pin it on them but “heads had to roll” to keep investors in investing. Every heard that term before. Scapegoat a couple of top employees and with them goes the problem and misfortune attached to it. Hire the dream employee and fortune will shine down on us again. We moderns are not so different with our lucky rabbits feet.

Leviticus 16:22 TLV

The goat will carry all their iniquities by itself into a solitary land and he is to leave the goat in the wilderness.

Israel was not far off its rocker. What did this goat accomplish for atonement, at-one-ment. You see, to me and a few other folks, this goat represents the horizontal side of atonement. My need to be at-one-ment with you and myself.

As this goat goes from Tabernacle to Wilderness the journey was long. He passed through several cities and villages. He passes through the village of Chayim and Mottel. Chayim had blamed Mottel for the poor harvest that year. Chayim knew that Mottel was not an upright man, Mottel was not Torah devout, Mottel ruined the harvest. Chayim was sure of it and wanted to rid the town of Mottel. Then the goat came through, then Chayim thought it was the “goats fault.” The evil eye was here, it was not Mottel after all. He started downgraded his changes, Mottel was a decent guy, he made mistakes like the rest of us, it was the goats fault and not Mottel’s fault.

And in that moment, Chayim could see Mottel, could stop blaming him and really see him. As the goat went by enemies were made into friends because the Blame game stopped.

Okay, doesn’t this seem absurd? It is and designed to be so absurd that you would ask yourself the question, “Why should a goat be the blame for my problems?” How can I really blame this goat for what just happened? How can I really attribute success to rabbit’s foot? Longer winter, sooner summer to a groundhog, missing children to pink dolphins.

Maybe the scholar Rene Girard was correct when he said, “When in Messiah God makes himself the scapegoat, directing human violence toward an innocent party, he reveals the error in scapegoating and breaks the cycle of violence.”

In my opinion, the second goat was no more evil than the first. He simply brought atonement by ending the blame game and “Owning my Own” story.

It’s owning that Obama is not the reason for my financial blunder, Trump for my indiscretion, my child is not the cause of my anger, my wife is not the reason for my “i am not enough” problems, my husband is not, my lack of promotion at work is not my co-workers fault.

I have to own my own. Sure, I can keep blaming. Blame other, blame evil, blame God or I can own my own story. When I accept my own story then what I learn is that the innocent did exchange his life for me and that when I stop blaming others, God and Satan I start to get a breakthrough.

First, I start telling the truth on myself and take off the shame armor of Adam. Instead of blaming other people You can just be honest enough to say, “Our family is really hurting. We could use your support. None of us are at our best.” Or the father who can tell his son, “The story that is playing in mind keeps ending with I am not a good dad. We all get down on ourselves. I am not made at you about what you did. I just need to talk to you about it.” Or the woman who says, “Our team dropped the ball. We need to stop blaming each other and have some tough conversations about what happened so we can fix it and move forward.” Or the man who can say, “I just have been trying to coast. I got stop blaming other people and saying I am getting walked over. I need to get my head into my work and do better.”

People who stop blaming others will be willing to wade into discomfort and vulnerability and tell the truth about their stories.

Second, I can start moving forward in my most important relationships.

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” (1 John 3:14–16, ESV)

1 John 3:14–16 ESV

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

The Messiah was scapegoated. He was falsely accused, He was put forward as the cause for Israel’s problems, the disturber of Roman peace. He also was the innocent dying for guilty. He was love to the fullest degree. When he was scapegoated he did not defend himself. He was silent like a sheep sent to the slaughterer. Rene Girard was correct when he said, “When in Messiah God makes himself the scapegoat, directing human violence toward an innocent party, he reveals the error in scapegoating and breaks the cycle of violence.”

Now I can see you and not see you through the blame. I can love you and not love the blame game.

Last, when the divine scapegoat Yeshua the Messiah ends the errors of our blaming ways we can even love those who are plotting, seriously considering or tinkering with the idea of our demise. Do you remember at the last supper it says:

“And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?”” (Matthew 26:21–22, ESV)

Matthew 26:21–22 TLV

As they were eating, He said, “Amen, I tell you, one of you will betray Me.” And being very sorrowful, they began, each one, to say to Him, “I’m not the one, am I, Master?”

Do you know why they were saying “Is it I, Lord?” Because Judas was not the only one at the table who at some point in time had given some thought to betraying Yeshua. In that moment, there individual guilt emerges. Now Judas might have been the only one to act on it but all of then felt guilty over it.

They were all doing the best they could: talk about Matthew, John, Peter, Nathanial.

Now if I were Yeshua and I knew all things and knew these guys felt this way about me. I would have brought a sword to dinner but he does not. He brings bread, wine and blessing. Because when you stop blaming people, you can start loving people, even people who at least consider it a good idea of you were the scapegoat.

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What would change for you? For your marriage? What about your children? Do you blame one child in your house for everything? You even call them the black-sheep?

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