According to tradition, on the day of Yom Kippur the Kohen Gadol transfers the sins of the Jewish people on to a goat that was then sent off into the wilderness (or off a mountain, depending on your interpretation). Since the Temple was destroyed, prayers and fasting take the place of the goat for atonement. But if you’re still hankering for some old-fashioned goat atonement, the good folks at the Jewish media company G-dcast are bringing the goat back, albeit it virtually, with eScapegoat.
“Our hope is to reignite the story in people’s knowledge and imagination,” G-dcast creator Sarah Lefton told Tablet.
Here’s how it works: you upload your sin in 120 characters or less through the site. You can enter your email to see the actual (virtual) goat get thrown off the mountain. The site does provide a disclaimer that “No actual Halachic atonement implied.” (We assume no real goats were harmed in the making of the site.)
The site has been tweeting (at @Sinfulgoat naturally) some of the anonymous sins.
“I regret not being more observant of religious traditions.”
“I make my life seem better than it is on social media. I’m actually unhappy.”
“I accidentally ran over the neighbors (sic) dog, but made it look like the Mormons did it.”
(Though advance warning to our readers, some of the sins aren’t exactly kosher reading,)
P.S. If you’re feeling soft on goats this time of year, you can download one of the oddest video game offerings of the past year: Goat Simulator. This time, you get to play as a goat and push people off cliffs (and other buildings).
The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.