The Question of Dualism on the Issue 23 of the ‘Scapegoat’

From Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer to the Zohar

Abstract

This paper focuses on the development of the midrashic traditions revolving around the Scapegoat on Yom Kippur, beginning with the text’s resurfacing in Pirqe DeRabbi Eliezer, through early kabbalistic sources up to the Zohar. The midrashic treatment of the biblical material raises theological questions regarding the existence of a dualistic view in late-midrash and medieval Kabbalah. Through a comparative reading of these texts, I will attempt to examine how the midrashim of the Zohar—including the main zoharic text, the Piqqudin, and the Ra ay a Mehemna—deal with the appeasing of Samael on Yom Kippur. I will argue that the dualistic tendency is generally more moderate in the Zohar compared to the narrative in Pirqe DeRabbi Eliezer. In addition, 1 attempt to show that the later texts of the Zohar distance themselves from dualism in a manner that is especially marked, in comparison to both later midrashic sources and the main zoharic text. Underlying my readings of these texts is the general assumption that the mode in which myths are interpreted can shed light on the interpreter’s religious views. This article seeks to deepen our understanding of the internal relations among the component texts of the Zohar, as well as their connection to ancient traditions.