Goats

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Protecting the Goats of Antioch

TALMUD

The residents of Antioch had to devise practical solutions to protect their goats' udders due to their unusually large size. The Babylonian Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism, in tractate Shabbat recounts how the residents of Antioch created pouches to prevent their goats' udders from getting scratched.

The Gemara adds: It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yehuda said: There was an incident involving the goats belonging to the residents of a house in Antioch whose udders were especially large and they would drag along the ground. And they made pouches for them so that their udders would not get scratched.

Shabbat 53b:16

Spinning from Living Goats

COMMENTARY

The women who spun the goats' hair for the Tabernacle did so directly from the backs of living goats, showcasing their extraordinary skill. Rashi, in his renowned 11th-century commentary on the Torah, provides this fascinating detail in his commentary on Exodus 35:26.

טוו את העזים [AND THE WOMEN] SPUN THE GOATS’ HAIR (lit., the goats) — This required extraordinary skill, for they spun it (the goats’ hair) from off the backs of the goats (whilst it was still on the living animals) (Shabbat 99a).

Rashi on Exodus 35:26:1

A Goat for Healing

TALMUD

The story of a pious man using a goat for medicinal purposes highlights the intersection of faith and practical remedies in ancient Jewish tradition. The Talmudic tractate Temurah, from the early medieval period, includes this narrative to illustrate the lengths to which one might go to alleviate suffering while adhering to religious principles.

The Gemara raises a difficulty: But isn’t it taught in a baraita: There was an incident involving a certain pious man who was groaning, i.e., suffering, due to a pain in his heart. And they asked the physicians what to do for him, and they said: There is no other remedy for him but that he should suckle warm milk every morning. And they brought him a goat and tied it to the leg of the bed for him, and he would suckle milk from it.

Temurah 15b:17

The Two Goats of Yom Kippur

TANAKH

The ritual of the two goats on Yom Kippur provides for the communal expiation of sins. The Torah describes how Aaron casts lots to designate one goat for God as a sin offering and the other to be sent to Azazel in the wilderness.

Aaron shall take the two he-goats and let them stand before יהוה at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting; and he shall place lots upon the two goats, one marked for יהוה and the other marked for Azazel. Aaron shall bring forward the goat designated by lot for יהוה, which he is to offer as a sin offering; while the goat designated by lot for Azazel shall be left standing alive before יהוה, to make expiation with it and to send it off to the wilderness for Azazel.

Leviticus 16:7-10

The Miraculous Goats of Job

TALMUD

Job's goats defied the natural order by killing wolves, a miraculous reversal of the usual predator-prey relationship. In the Talmudic tractate Bava Batra, Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina interprets Job 1:10 to explain this extraordinary phenomenon.

The Gemara continues with its explication of these verses. What is meant by: “And his livestock is increased [paratz] in the land” (Job 1:10)? Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina says: Job’s livestock breached [paretzu] the order of the world. It is the way of the world that wolves kill goats, but in the case of Job’s livestock, the goats killed the wolves.

Bava Batra 15b:16

The Mystical Purity of Goats

KABBALAH

Goats, despite their association with impure spirits, are permissible to eat because these spirits do not dwell within them permanently. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, offers a unique perspective on the spiritual purity of goats.

It may be asked, What of the goat in which dwells an unclean spirit, and is yet permitted? This is not really so, for if an unclean spirit dwelt in it, we should not be permitted to eat it. The fact is that the evil spirit passes through it and appears in front of it, but is not allowed to dwell in it.

Zohar, Shmini 14:107

The Mystical Significance of Goats and Sheep

CHASIDUT

In his teachings, the Ba'al Shem Tov offers a mystical interpretation of sacrificial offerings. This text describes the spiritual significance of goats and sheep and their connection to the Sefirot (divine attributes).

Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them as follows: When any man of you brings an offering to G‑d, the sacrifice must be taken from the cattle, from the herd or from the flock… (Leviticus 1:2)
According to its mystical meaning, a flock of sheep or goats corresponds to the ascension of the worlds, of Malchus that contains the properties of both Judgment and Kindness, for “flock” incorporates them both. Every “flock” is the aspect of Unification.
Otzar HaChayim, p. 25d

Ba'al Shem Tov, Vayikra 4:1

A Disguise of Goat Skins

MUSAR

In the 17th-century work Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz delves into the unusual dynamic between Jacob and his mother Rebecca. He notes that she not only decides to disguise her son in goat skins but that she puts them on him herself, raising many intriguing questions, including about the commandment to honor one's mother.

As to the external mechanics needed to prevent detection, Rebeccah provided the skins of these goats and put them on Jacob's hands and arms. She also had Esau's clothes that she dressed Jacob in. It is interesting that the Torah describes Rebeccah as personally garbing Jacob in those skins, that Jacob did not do so himself (27,15-16). Why did Jacob allow his mother to perform a personal service such as this for him, instead of Jacob performing a personal service for his mother, part of the commandment to honor one's mother?

Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Toldot, Torah Ohr 106

Liability for a Goat's Actions

TALMUD

The owner of a goat is liable for typical damages caused by the goat, but what if the damage seems atypical? In the Gemara, Rava rules that a goat breaking a barrel while eating a turnip is considered typical behavior, making the owner responsible for the damages.

The Gemara relates: There was a certain goat that saw a turnip on top of a clay barrel [dedanna]. It climbed and went up and ate the turnip, and in doing so it broke the barrel. Rava obligated the owner of the goat to pay the full cost of the damage, both for the turnip and for the barrel. The Gemara explains: What is the reason that he held the owner fully liable for the clay barrel as well as for the turnip? After all, breaking barrels is not the typical behavior of a goat…

Bava Kamma 20a:1

The Flocks Inside Of Us

SECOND TEMPLE

Philo uses goats and sheep as symbolic representations to illustrate two perfect ways of thinking: one that cleanses the soul from sin and another that nourishes it with high achievements. Philo of Alexandria, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, blends Jewish theology with Greek philosophy to offer a unique perspective on spiritual purification and growth.

[198] A he-goat is leader of a herd of goats, a ram of a flock of sheep; and these animals are figures of two perfect ways of thinking, of which the one cleanses and purges a soul from sin, and the other nourishes it and renders it full of high achievements. Such are the leading thoughts at the head of the herds within us; and the herds, possessed of dispositions answering to the names of sheep and goats which represent them, dart and go forward towards righteousness with earnestness.

On Dreams, Book I 34:7

Kosher Horns

TALMUD

The physical characteristics of an animal's horns can determine its kosher status. The Gemara in tractate Chullin examines different cases and discusses whether the fat of an animal is forbidden in each situation.

The Gemara asks: Is this an established principle? But isn’t there a goat, which has horns and cloven hooves, and still its fat is forbidden, as it is a domesticated animal? The Gemara responds: We require horns that are layered to designate a kosher animal as undomesticated; a goat’s horns are not layered. The Gemara asks: But isn’t there a bull, which has layered horns, and still its fat is forbidden since it is domesticated? The Gemara responds: We require horns that are grooved…

Chullin 59b:3

The Skill of Spinning Goat Hair

TANAKH

The book of Exodus describes the construction of the mishkan (tabernacle) and highlights the unique contributions of women who spun goats' hair with exceptional expertise. This practice demonstrated extraordinary skill because they spun goats' hair directly from the living animals.

And all the women who excelled in that skill spun the goats’ hair.

Exodus 35:26

Jacob's Dream of Goats

TARGUM

The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, an Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Torah, tells the story of Jacob's dream of goats from a first person perspective.

And it was at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and, behold, the goats which rose upon the flock were spotted in their feet, or streaked or white in their backs.

Targum Jonathan on Genesis 31:10

The Beauty of Goats

RESPONSA

The poetic description of goats in Song of Songs serves as a metaphor for beauty and order. In the 13th-century collection Teshuvot Min HaShamayim, Rabbi Yaakov of Marvege interprets this metaphor through divine inspiration received in his dreams.

They responded: "Your hair is like a flock of goats, all are aligned and not one is missing." (Shir Hashirim 4:2-3)

Teshuvot Min HaShamayim 50:2

Approaching the Live Goat

LITURGY

The act of approaching the live goat is a pivotal moment in the Yom Kippur atonement ritual. The Avodah service in the Yom Kippur Musaf prayer describes the High Priest's actions during the ancient Temple service, including the scapegoat ritual.

He then approached the live goat.

Machzor Yom Kippur Ashkenaz Linear, Musaf for Yom Kippur, The Avodah Service 370

The Story of the Goat in Chad Gadya

JEWISH THOUGHT

The traditional Passover song 'Chad Gadya' uses the narrative of a goat to symbolize various historical and spiritual themes. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, in his commentary on the Haggadah, the guiding text of the Passover seder, explores the deeper meanings behind this seemingly simple song, connecting it to broader Jewish history and spirituality.

One little goat, one little goat my father bought for two zuzim. (Haggada)

The Jonathan Sacks Haggadah; Essays, One Little Goat 1

The Specifics of the Passover Offering

TOSEFTA

The Passover offering has specific requirements that are essential to understanding the historical and religious significance of the holiday. The Tosefta, an ancient collection of rabbinic laws and teachings from the land of Israel, details the precise requirements for the Passover offering, including the type of animal, its age, and the method of preparation.

The Passover [offering] comes from the flocks [of sheep or goats], and does not come from the cattle. It comes from the sheep or from the goats. It comes from the males but it does not come from the females. It comes from a one-year-old [lamb or kid] and does not come from a two-year-old. And it can only be eaten at night, and it can only be eaten until midnight, and it can only be eaten by its registrants, and it can only be eaten roasted (see Zev. 5:8). And one may be held liable for it on account of breaking a bone (Ex. 12:46).

Tosefta Pesachim 5:2

Tending to the Firstborn

MISHNAH

The Mishnah outlines the specific conditions under which an Israelite must tend to and raise a firstborn animal before giving it to the priest, highlighting the distinctions between small and large animals and the conditions for blemished or unblemished firstborns. The Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law from the early third-century land of Israel, details the laws regarding firstborn animals, which were significant in ancient Jewish agricultural society.

Until when must an Israelite tend to and raise a firstborn animal before giving it to the priest? With regard to a small animal, e.g., a sheep or goat, it is thirty days, and with regard to a large animal, e.g., cattle, it is fifty days. Rabbi Yosei says: With regard to a small animal, it is three months. If the priest said to the owner within that period: Give it to me, that owner may not give it to him. And if it is a blemished firstborn and the priest said to him: Give it to me so I may eat it…

Mishnah Bekhorot 4:1

Study of Two Goats, Martinus Rørbye, 1841

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