Offerings

 There is a fascinating contrast in this aliyah brought down in VaYikra 17:7, where the Torah states that although "the House of Israel" is now permitted to consecrate animals and bring them as (peace) offerings to H', such offerings shall only be in the mishkan and shall "no longer [be made] to the demons that [the House of Israel] strays after."  The Torah very rarely criticizes B'nei Yisrael so clearly as it does here, in pointing out what must have been a prior practice in Egypt of making offerings wherever one desired and to whomever one desired, including "demons."  (According to a rough interpretation of the Hebrew word which my version translated as "demons" - seirim - this may be where we get the word "satyr.")  Regardless, there is no mistaking that, prior to now, Israel was certainly making sacrifices to - and straying after - "demons."

This is why, as a friend pointed out, the earlier reference to "Azazel" may actually reference some sort of demonic spirit, a spirit associated with the yetzer hara.  (Of course, as Jews we do not believe that anything is outside of the purview or existence of G-d, so even this demonic Azazel is still a creation of the Holy One.) Why?  Well, because in reference to Azazel, the offering is sent alive, whereas the offering which is used to atone for Israel's "sins" is promptly shechted.  It fits in perfectly with the new mitzvah that Israel shall "no longer" offer korbanot to anyone other than H'.  

Where else do we see an animal being kept alive and sent away?  In reference to the live bird sent away "to the field" as part of the tamei atonement/healing process.  In other words, we have at least two examples in the Torah itself of live animals being "sent" to demons.  

The Zohar speaks extensively about the necessity of making real "offerings" to these demons.  That they must somehow be kept "fed" - and therefore "kept busy" - by these offerings, lest they come for us.

Surely, while there is some objective truth here (feed a demon a day to keep a demon away), there is deeper significance as well.  We cannot pretend that evil does not exist, or that it is simply another manifestation of (at least pure) divine goodness (leaving aside deeper theological questions regarding the potentially essential goodness of evil, a dangerous territory to wade into) or quite simply that everything is created equal.  That we can offer korbanot to H' and also korbanot to the closest thing we have to an "absence" of H'.  Otherwise, there would be no point to the "endows us with understanding" blessing said each morning, no point to really the entire Torah, no point to free will.  There is and must be a delineation between the demonic - to whom no offering should be made - and the divine - to whom all offerings should be made.

A powerful lesson which is only clear when reading the whole of this parasha regarding korbanot - when, where, and to whom such offerings should be made.