You’ve got a goat inside. It has two sides. On the one hand, you can’t live without it, and it’s not at all bad. Maybe it’s like one of those nice goats that provides milk, wool and playfulness. On the other hand, it can get into some awful habits that can prove pretty embarrassing in your relationship with others. Even more embarrassing when it comes to your Creator.
So, you need to split that goat into two goats. And then send one of them away.
There’s a caveat here, something you really have to know: You can’t send a goat away unless you first take ownership of it. You gotta know, “This is my goat. It’s part of me. What it did, I did. I take full responsibility.”
Once you’ve done that, you can wave goodbye, close the door, and never let it back in again. Then get to work on raising up the other goat into a truly divine offering.
That sounds pretty simple, but I have to bring it up because most people seem
to find it real hard. We tend to think the scapegoat is our mother, father,
fourth-grade school teacher, wife, husband, job, employer, rush-hour traffic,
pharmaceuticals, condition, or some crazy rabbi who gives nutty advice.
You can’t send the goat away as long as you deny that it’s your goat.
(Slightly edited article originally on www.chabad.org, written by Tzvi Freeman)
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