The two goats of Yom Kippur — it is their mitzvah that they be alike in appearance, in stature, in value, and in being taken at the same time. [("in appearance":) both white or both black. ("and in stature and in value":) For there are three verses in this regard, viz. (Leviticus 16:5): "And from the congregation of the children of Israel he shall take two goats," (Ibid. 7): "And he shall take the two goats," (Ibid. 8): "And Aaron shall place on the two goats." Since "goats" connotes two, why need it be repeated "two," "two" "two," three times? To teach us that they be alike in appearance, stature, and value.] But even if they are not alike, they are kasher. If he took one today and the other the next day, they are kasher. If one of them died — if it died before the lot had been cast, a mate is taken for the second; and if after the lot had been cast, a different pair is brought and the lot cast from the beginning. And he says (if the one "to the L rd" had died): "This one, for whom the lot came up 'to the L rd,' is in its place." And (if the one "to Azazel" had died): "This one, for whom the lot came up 'to Azazel,' is in its place." And the second one grazes until it sustains a blemish, and it is sold, and its monies go for gift (offerings). [If the one "to Azazel" died, so that now we have two "to the L rd," one that remained from the first pair and one from the second, atonement is made with one of them and the second one grazes. Similarly, if the one "to the L rd" died, so that now we have two "to Azazel," one of them is sent away and the second grazes. It is the second one of the second pair that grazes until it sustains a blemish, and the second of the first pair that is sacrificed if it is "to the L rd," or sent away if it is "to Azazel." For living animals are not "pushed away." And though they underwent a period of unfitness (when their mate died), this is subject to amendment by the provision of a new mate.] For a communal sin-offering is not caused to die (by not being fed). [For sin-offerings' being caused to die obtains only with individual sin-offerings; but the Yom Kippur goats are communal sin-offerings, viz. (Leviticus 16:5): "And from the congregation of Israel he shall take two goats for a sin-offering." (A "dead sin-offering" is one that is pent up in a house and kept there until it dies.)] R. Yehudah said: It is caused to die. And R. Yehudah said further: If the blood [of the goat "to the L rd"] spilled out, the sent-away goat is to die, [for the mitzvah of the (sprinkling of the) blood has not been performed. And, in respect to all the services performed in the white vestments, both inside and outside, "statute" is written, making them categorical requirements. He must, therefore, bring other blood, and this is impossible except through casting a (new) lot. And since R. Yehudah holds that living animals are "pushed away," the first sent-away goat is to die.] If the sent-away goat died, the blood is to be spilled out. [Even though, according to all, "sending away" is not a categorical requirement (i.e., the other services are valid even if it were not sent away), for "statute" connoting a categorical requirement is written in respect to what the priest does in the linen vestments and not in respect to what is done by the "appointed man" (with the sent-away goat), still, it (the above ruling) is derived from Scripture, viz. (Leviticus 16:10): "It shall be stood living before the L rd to make atonement over it." How long must the sent-away goat stand living? Until the time of the sprinkling of the blood of its mate — the implication being that if it died before that, the blood atonement does not obtain, for which reason it (the sprinkling of the blood) must be repeated. And this is impossible without casting a (new) lot; so two (new) goats are needed and the first is "pushed away." (For all agree that slaughtered animals are "pushed away")].

He came to the sent-away goat [After he had completed the blood sprinklings of the bullock and the goat, the high-priest came to the sent-away goat in the place where he had stood it, at the gate through which it is sent], and he placed his two hands upon it and confessed. And thus would he say: "Ana Hashem" ("I beseech You, O L rd") — "They have transgressed, they have offended, they have sinned before You, Your people the house of Israel. Ana, by the Name, atone, na, for the transgressions, and for the offenses, and for the sins that Your people Israel transgressed, and offended, and sinned before You, as it is written in the Torah of Mosheh Your servant (Leviticus 16:30): 'For on this day He shall atone for you to cleanse you of all of your sins; before the L rd you shall be cleansed.'" And the Cohanim and the people who stood in the azarah, when they heard the Name (the tetragrammaton) fully pronounced, issuing forth from the mouth of the high-priest, would bow down and prostrate themselves, and fall on their faces, and say: "Blessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom forever."

He gave it to the one appointed to lead it away. All are kasher to lead it away, but the Cohanim made it a fixed practice [for a Cohein to do so] and they [a beth-din of Cohanim] did not allow an Israelite to lead it away. R. Yossi said: Once, Arsela, who was an Israelite, led it away.

And they made him [the sender] a ramp [out of the azarah and out of the city] because of the Babylonians, who would tear his hair, saying: "Take it and go! Take it and go!" [and do not keep our sins ("embodied" in the goat) here anymore!)] Some of the eminent men of Jerusalem would accompany him to the first succah. [They made succoth for him on the way and men went to dwell there before Yom Kippur, to accompany him from succah to succah.] There were ten succoth from Jerusalem until the peak (from which it was thrown), ninety ris [from Jerusalem until the peak], seven and a half [ris] to each mil. [I heard it rendered as "ros," with a vav, 266 steps, as per the gematria of "ros" — so that seven and a half ris is found to be two thousand steps less five, approximately, the tchum Shabbath (the Sabbath bound). Nine ris are twelve mil.]

At each succah, they would say to him: "Here is food; here is water." [They said this only to relieve him. For one who has "bread in his basket" is not so hungry as one who does not have bread in his basket. But no one ever had need of it (the food)]. And they would accompany him from succah to succah, except the last of them, who would not accompany him to the peak, but would stand from afar and observe him. [For from Jerusalem until the first succah was a mil. And there were ten succoth. And between succah and succah there was a mil. So that from Jerusalem until the last succah there were ten mil, leaving two mil from the last succah until the peak. They would accompany him a mil (as per the Sabbath bound), stand from afar, and observe him.]

What did he do? He divided the crimson tongue. Half he tied on a rock and half between its horns. [He would not tie the whole crimson tongue on the rock lest it whiten immediately before the goat was pushed and, from the joy of its whitening (indicating that their sins had been forgiven), he come to forget the mitzvah of pushing (it down), assuming that the mitzvah had already been completed in that the tongue had whitened. And he would not tie the whole tongue between its horns, lest in being pushed, it would bend its head beneath its body in falling backwards, so that the tongue could not be seen whitening, which would sadden all of Israel. Therefore, he tied half to the rock (where it would not whiten until the entire act had been completed), so that when he tied half between its horns, though it might whiten immediately, he would not neglect to push it off, being preoccupied with it.] He pushed it backwards and it rolled down, not reaching the middle of the mountain before it had been torn limb from limb. Then he would return and stay in the last succah until nightfall. [And even though one who leaves the tchum even with the permission of the sages may go only two thousand cubits from the place he was authorized to go, he was permitted (to go back twice that distance), being afraid to remain in the desert after dark.] And from when do his clothes become unclean? [it being written (Leviticus 16:26): "And he who sends the goat to Azazel shall wash his clothes."] From the time he leaves the wall of Jerusalem. R. Shimon says: From the time he pushes it off the peak. [The halachah is not in accordance with R. Shimon.]

He came to the bullock and the goat (which were to be) burnt. [After the high-priest gave the sent-away goat to the sender, he came to the bullock and the goat awaiting burning] and cut them open and removed their eimurin (devoted portions), placed them on a tray [of the ministering vessels] and burned them on the altar. [The meaning cannot be that he burned them now, for he was dressed in the white vestments, in which he still had to read the section of the day. It is to be understood, rather, as: He placed them on a tray in order to burn them afterwards, when their time arrived, after he had immersed and donned the golden vestments.] They twined them (the bullock and the goat) on poles [whole, with their hides and flesh and excreta. Only, their stomachs had been slit open to remove their eimurin.], and they were taken out to be burned [outside of Jerusalem]. And from when do they cause the clothes [of those occupied with them] to become unclean? [viz. (Leviticus 16:28): "And he who burns them shall wash his clothes, etc."]. From the time they are taken outside the wall of the azarah. R. Shimon says: From the time the fire "takes" in their greater part. [The halachah is not in accordance with R. Shimon.]

They said to the high-priest: "The sent-away goat has reached the desert," [it being forbidden to begin another service until the goat reaches the desert, viz. (Leviticus 16:23): "And he shall send out the goat in the desert," followed by (25): "And the fat of the sin-offering shall he burn."]. How did they know that the goat had reached the desert? They would erect dorchiyoth [big, high stones, one atop the other], and they [the watchers, stood there and] waved their scarves (one to another, at the sighting), so that they knew when the goat had reached the desert. R. Yehudah said: Did they not have a substantial sign (for its having reached the desert)? From Jerusalem until Beth Chadudo [the beginning of the desert] was three mil, [R. Yehudah holding that once the goat arrives there the mitzvah has been performed, even though it has not reached the peak. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Yehudah.] They would walk a mil, return a mil, wait (the amount of time it would take to walk) a mil, and they knew that the goat had reached the desert. [As stated above (6:4): "Some of the eminent men of Jerusalem would accompany him to the first succah" (a mil from Jerusalem) — so that when they returned (a mil) and waited the amount of time it took to walk a mil), they knew that the goat had reached the desert.] R. Yishmael says: Did they not have another sign? A tongue of crimson was tied at the entrance of the sanctuary, and when the goat reached the desert, it would whiten, viz. (Isaiah 1:18): "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow."