On your New Moons, you shall offer an elevation-offering to Hashem… one he-goat for a sin-offering.
The Zohar* states regarding Rosh Chodesh: It is found in the Book of Chanoch that as the Moon is purified to draw close to its husband**, it is necessary to give a portion to the Dark Side (i.e., the he-goat brought as an offering).
In order to explain this teaching, allow me to cite that which I heard from my mentor, the Besht. Tehillim*** states, כי אתה אשר הכית רדפו תנה עון על עונם ימחו מספר חיים, For they have pursued those whom You have struck; add iniquity upon their iniquities; may they be erased from the Book of Life. He asked why this is logical: If the nations had merely been acting upon Hashem’s instruction, why did they deserve to be punished?
He answered with a metaphor. There once was a devout Christian king who threw a party, inviting the nobility from throughout his dominion. As the festivities progressed and the wine loosened him up, the king inquired with each of the noblemen about the nature of the deity worshipped in his local precinct. Each responded in turn, describing his local religion. However, each had the courtesy to praise Yeshu ha-Notzri, acknowledging his supposed status as a prophet and other positive qualities that they saw in him. However, when it came the Jew’s turn to speak, he denounced Yeshu as a wicked Jew. Understandably, this did not sit well with the king.
In order to placate him, the Jew offered the following explanation – by way, once again, of a metaphor: There once was a jeweler, a real expert in his craft. In his collection he had a particular stone that had internally deteriorated to the point that it was worthless – although this was not apparent to the untrained eye. He disguised himself as an unruly farmer and sold the gem to an unsuspecting customer for a few gold coins. The gem continued to change hands until it reached the king, who called upon the local jewelers to appraise its value. One by one, they examined the stone and extolled its virtues in an attempt to flatter his highness. This went on until the stone’s original owner was consulted, who stated flatly that it was worthless. This riled the king, but the jeweler confessed that “I am the origin of this stone – who understands its nature better than I do?”
In the same vein, concluded the Jew to his Christian monarch, we Jews produced the object of your majesty’s affection – who should be more familiar with his true nature than we?
Continued the Besht, when Hashem punishes a tzaddik, He does so through a wicked person. In this manner, the wicked – who was already deserving punishment – sets himself up for his own utter destruction. An example of this is the assurance given to Avraham that Hashem would punish those who would subjugate his descendants. The language used there is וגם את הגוי אשר יעבדו דן אנכי, and I shall also punish the nation whom they shall serve.**** Why דן in the past tense instead of ידון in the future tense? The answer is that when the Egyptians were chosen for this task, they were as good as already punished. It was just a matter of carrying it out in practice. This is accomplished by the tzaddik drawing out the sparks of holiness lodged within the wicked one, rendering the latter an empty, worthless shell, while the former experiences spiritual ascension. As Koheles puts it,***** עת אשר שליט האדם באדם לרע לו, at a time when one man dominates over another to his detriment, the “his” – as the Arizal****** explained – referring to the oppressor.
This is the meaning of the aforementioned verse. כי אתה אשר הכית רדפו – since You, Hashem, are aware that that which You struck the tzaddik through the wicked one is not because the latter is superior to the former; to the contrary, it signs his own death warrant. (This is similar to the above analogies in which the primary actor acts upon personal, intimate knowledge of the object.) The proof of this is that which he used the opportunity to pursue the tzaddik with his full fury. As such, תנה עון על עונם ימחו מספר חיים, indeed, add this sin to his previous sins and send him to his utter destruction.
In light of this thought from the Besht, we can reinterpret the passage in the Zohar with which we began. Through the sins of the Jewish People, their spiritual base – the Attribute of Malchus – has been banished from its ethereal perch. Through repentance, however, the situation can be rectified. It is this that the Zohar describes as the Moon – which is symbolic of Malchus – being purified to reunite with its mate. And through the process of exile, whether via the collective suffering of the nation at the hands of the gentiles or the suffering of an individual tzaddik at the hands of a wicked oppressor, the sinners are pushed off the brink while the righteous are restored to their rightful place. This process requires, though, a bait of sorts for the Dark Side, similar to that of the Sa’ir ha-Mishtalei’ach on Yom Kippur. This is the function of the sin-offering of Rosh Chodesh.
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* Pinchas 248b.
** I.e., the Sun, which bestows light upon it. This occurs on the beginning of the month, when the Moon reappears (Zohar, Vayeishev 180a).
*** 69:28**** Bereishis 15:14.
***** 8:9
******Sefer ha-Gilgulim, ch. 2.