What is the point of the goat sent to Azazel?
It symbolizes our evil inclenation and a person who follows a bad path.
This reminds Israel to follow the holy and reject past folly.
Our answer is similar to that of the Ramban on the Torah.
while the goat designated by lot for Azazel shall be left standing alive before יקוק, to make expiation with it and to send it off to the wilderness for Azazel.
אמר סמאל לפני הקב"ה רבון כל העולמים על כל העכומ"ז נתת לי רשות ועל ישראל אין אתה נותן לי רשות, אמר לו הרי יש לך רשות עליהם ביום הכפורים אם יש להם חטא, ואם לאו אין לך רשות עליהם, לפיכך נותנין לו שוחד ביום הכפורים שלא לבטל את ישראל שלא לבטל קרבן של ישראל, שנאמר "גורל אחד ליקוק וגורל אחד לעזאזל".
Sammael said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all the universe ! Thou hast given me power over all the nations of the world, but over Israel Thou hast not given me power. He answered him, saying: Behold, thou hast power over them on the Day of Atonement if they have any sin, but if not, thou hast no power over them. Therefore they gave him a bribe on the Day of Atonement, in order that he would not cancel Israel to not bring their sacrifice, as it is said, "One lot for the Lord, and the other lot for Azazel" (Lev. 16:8).
What does this mean? It can't be interpreted literaly, because we only bring sacrifices to Hashem!!
וּבֹא וּרְאֵה, כֹּהֲנִים וּלְוִיִּם וְיִשְׂרְאֵלִים הֵם נִקְרָאִים אָדָם בְּחִבּוּר שֶׁל אוֹתָם רְצוֹנוֹת קְדוֹשִׁים שֶׁעוֹלִים מִתּוֹכָם. אוֹתוֹ כֶּשֶׂב אוֹ אַיִל אוֹ אוֹתָהּ בְּהֵמָה שֶׁמַּקְרִיבִים, צָרִיךְ עַד שֶׁלֹּא תֻקְרַב עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לְפָרֵשׁ עָלֶיהָ כָּל הַחֲטָאִים וְכָל הָרְצוֹנוֹת הָרָעִים לְהִתְוַדּוֹת עָלֶיהָ, וְאָז הַהִיא נִקְרֵאת בְּהֵמָה בַּכֹּל בְּתוֹךְ אוֹתָם חֲטָאִים וְרָעוֹת וְהִרְהוּרִים. כְּגַוְונָא דְּקָרְבָּנָא דַּעֲזָאזֵל דִּכְתִיב (ויקרא ט״ז:כ״א) וְהִתְוַדָּה עָלָיו אֶת כָּל עֲוֹנוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגו'
Come and behold: the priests, the Levites and Yisrael are (the secret of the three columns and) called 'man', through the union of the holy desires that rise from them. And when a sheep, or a deer or any other animal is brought to be sacrificed, all sins and evil desires and intentions must be confessed over them. Then the sacrifice is called 'a beast,' as it is now burdened with all the sins and evil intentions. This is similar to the sacrifice of the scapegoat, of which it is written: "and he shall confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Yisrael" (Lev. 16:21).
We see here that the Se'ir represents the animal side of man.
The animal side of man is the "yetzer hara"
Every sacrifice represents the dedication of the Yezter Tov and the Yetzer HaRa together
"Adam" is a reference to Adam before the fall.
אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ הוּא שָׂטָן הוּא יֵצֶר הָרָע הוּא מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת
Reish Lakish says: Satan, the evil inclination, and the Angel of Death are one, that is, they are three aspects of the same essence.
Below we see in the Zohar the same concept in Pirkey Rabbi Eliezer, with more detail
תָּא חֲזֵי, הַהוּא שָׂעִיר דִּמְשַׁדְּרִין יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲזָאזֵל, לְהַהוּא מַדְבְּרָא, בְּגִין לְמֵיהַב חוּלָקָא לְהַהוּא סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא, לְאִתְעַסְּקָא בַּהֲדֵיהּ. וְאִי תֵּימָא, תְּרֵין שְׂעִירִין אֲמַאי הָכָא, חַד לַיקוק' וְחַד לְהַהוּא סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא. תִּינַח הַהוּא שָׂעִיר דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא. לַיקוק' אֲמַאי.
100. Come and behold: Yisrael sent the goat to Azazel, to the wilderness, so as to give a portion to the Other Side with which to be occupied. You may ask why there are two goats here, one for Hashem and one for the Other Side. It is understandable TO SEND the goat of the Other Side TO AZAZEL, but why the goat to Hashem?
אֶלָּא לְמַלְכָּא דְּהֲוָה אַרְגִּיז עַל בְּרֵיהּ, קָרָא לְסַנְטִירָא, הַהוּא דְּעָבִיד דִּינָא בִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא תָּדִיר, בְּגִין דְּיִזְדָּמַּן לְמֶעְבַּד דִּינָא בִּבְרֵיהּ. הַהוּא סַנְטִירָא חַדֵּי, וְעָאל בְּבֵי מַלְכָּא לְמֵיכַל תַּמָּן,
כֵּיוָן דְּאַשְׁגַּח בֵּיהּ בְּרֵיהּ, אָמַר, וַדַּאי לָא עָאל סַנְטִירָא דָּא בְּבֵי אַבָּא, אֶלָּא בְּגִין דְּאַרְגִּיז מַלְכָּא עָלַי. מָה עָבֵד, אָזַל וְאִתְפְּיָיס בַּהֲדֵיהּ.
כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְפָּיַיס בַּהֲדֵיהּ, פָּקִיד מַלְכָּא לְמֶעְבַּד סְעוּדָתָא עִלָּאָה לֵיהּ וְלִבְרִיהּ, וּפָקִיד דְּלָא יָדַע בֵּיהּ הַהוּא סַנְטִירָא.
לְבָתַר עָאל הַהוּא סַנְטִירָא. אָמַר מַלְכָּא הַשְׁתָּא אִי יִנְדַּע דָּא, מִסְּעוּדָתָא עִלָּאָה דְּאַתְקִינִית לִי וְלִבְרִי, יִתְעַרְבֵּב פָּתוֹרָא.
מָה עֲבַד. קָרָא לַמְּמָנָא עַל סְעוּדָתָא, אָמַר לֵיהּ, אַתְקִין מִדִי, וּתְשָׁוֵי קַמָּאי, וּתְשָׁוֵי קַמֵּיהּ דְּהַהוּא סַנְטִירָא, בְּגִין דְּיַחְשִׁיב דְּסָעִיד קַמָּאי מִדִּילִי, וְלָא יִנְדַּע בְּהַהִיא סְעוּדָתָא יַקִּירָא דְּחֶדְוָה דִּילִי וְדִבְרִי, וְיִטּוֹל הַהוּא חוּלָקָא וְיֵזִיל לֵיהּ, וְיִתְפְּרַשׁ מִחֶדְוָה דִּסְעוּדָתָא דִּילָן. וְאִי לָאו דְּמַלְכָּא עָבִיד הָכִי, לָא יִתְפְּרַשׁ הַהוּא סַנְטִירָא מִבֵּי מַלְכָּא.
101. HE ANSWERS: IT IS SIMILAR to a king who was angry with his son. He summoned a bailiff, who regularly meted out justice to people, in order to come and punish his son. The bailiff rejoiced and entered the king's palace to eat there.
As soon as the son saw him, he thought: Certainly, the only reason this bailiff has come to my father's palace is because the king is angry with me. What did he do? He tried to please him.
Once he pleased him, the king ordered a magnificent feast for himself and his son, and commanded that the bailiff would not know of it.
Afterward, the bailiff came. The king thought: Now if he knows of the grand feast that I prepared for my son and myself, there will be confusion at the table.
What did he do? He called the butler in charge over the feast and told him, 'prepare something to put before me and the bailiff, so that the bailiff would think that he dined with me, and would not know about that other precious feast for me and my son. He would then take that portion and leave, and disengage from our joyous feast.' If the king had not done this, that bailiff would not have left the king's palace.
כַּךָ אָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, אַזְמִינוּ תְּרֵין שְׂעִירִין, חַד לִי וְחַד לְהַהוּא דַּלְטוֹרָא, בְּגִין דְּיַחְשִׁיב דְּמִסְּעוּדָתָא דִּילִי קָאֲכִיל, וְלָא יִנְדַּע בִּסְעוּדָתָא דְּחֶדְוָה אַחֲרָא דִּילָן, וְיִסַּב הַהוּא חוּלָקָא, וְיֵזִיל לְאָרְחֵיהּ, וְיִתְפְּרַשׁ מִבֵּיתִי.
כֵּיוָן דְּאִמָא עִלָּאָה, עָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, אָתֵי לְמִשְׁרֵי (ק' ע"ב) גּוֹ הֵיכְלָא דְּעָלְמָא תַּתָּאָה, לְאַשְׁכְּחָא נְהִירוּ (נ"א לאשגחא עלה בנהירו) דְּאַנְפִּין, דִּין הוּא דְּלָא יִשְׁתְּכַּח הַהוּא דַּלְטוֹרָא, וְלָא מָארֵי דְּדִינִין לְקַמֵּיהּ, כַּד אַפִּיק כָּל בִּרְכָאן, וְאַנְהִיר לְכֹלָּא. וְכָל הַהוּא חִירוּ יִשְׁתְּכַּח, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל נַטְלֵי מֵאִינּוּן בִּרְכָאן.
102. So did the Holy One, blessed be He, say to Yisrael: 'Prepare two goats, one for Me and one for that Slanderer', NAMELY THE OTHER SIDE, 'so that he will think that he ate from My meal and will not know of the other, our own joyous meal. Let him take that portion and go his way and depart from My house.'
Since supernal Ima, which is the World to Come, NAMELY BINAH, came to dwell in the sanctuary of the Lower World, to observe it with a radiant face, it is only right that the slanderer would not be present, nor the plaintiffs, when He takes out all the blessings and illuminates everything. And all manner of freedom is available IN MALCHUT, and Yisrael receive those blessings.
- The invitation of the punisher to the meal = treating both goats equally before the lottery = symbolic of how Hashem let's us choose our path equally, for better or worse.
- Or, because the Evil Inclination = the Angel of Death, this symbolizes that God will just as well punish evil as reward good, depending on the need.
- The son repents. and has a meal with his father = bringing the blood of the goat to Hashem in the holy of holies = how virtuous behavior grants eternal life.
- The punisher is sent outside to remind Israel that the path of evil leads to self-destruction.
- The punisher is satisfied, because his goal isn't really to destory but to refine. His goal is realized when we turn away from him.
105. You may derive this FROM THE PASSAGE: "Even Ester the queen let no one come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared but myself" (Esther 5:12), and: "Then Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart" (Ibid. 9) with that portion that he received, and went his way. Afterward, when the Supernal King came to the Queen's palace, the Queen asked for Herself, for Her children and for the people of the King.
The goat [of the Day of Atonement] that was sent [into the wilderness] (Lev. 16:20, seq.) served as an atonement for all serious transgressions more than any other sin-offering of the congregation. As it thus seemed to carry off all sins, it was not accepted as an ordinary sacrifice to be slaughtered, burnt, or even brought near the Sanctuary; it was removed as far as possible, and sent forth into a waste, uncultivated, uninhabited land. There is no doubt that sins cannot be carried like a burden, and taken off the shoulder of one being to be laid on that of another being. But these ceremonies are of a symbolic character, and serve to impress men with a certain idea, and to induce them to repent; as if to say, we have freed ourselves of our previous deeds, have cast them behind our backs, and removed them from us as far as possible.