In Parashat Acharei Mot, (Vayikra / Leviticus 16:1-18:30) God requires the Kohen Hagadol (High Priest) to cast lots on two goats, one will be for making atonement, and the other will be used for what the NASB calls the “scapegoat.” In Vaykira / Leviticus 16:8, it says “goral echad lashem ve’goral echad la’azazel” meaning “one is for God and one is for azazel.” The word “azazel” appears to be the juxtaposition of two Hebrew words “??” and “???” where “az” means a “female-goat” and “azel” means “to go, to go away, or to go about.” This “going away goat” was a part of the ritual of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and symbolized the entire removal of sin and guilt from both the people and the sacred things. The goat was to be driven into a desert place carrying the sin on its back. The purpose was to symbolically remove sin to a land that is not inhabited in the wilderness and there the goat would die (Vayikra / Leviticus 16:20-22). Read More here.
