Our Gemara mentions the ramp that was built for the Yom Kippur ScapeGoat and its attendant to be walked out. The Mishna Yoma (6:4) explains that certain boorish, perhaps superstitious folk would harass the attendant and the goat to leave quickly in order that their sins be removed quickly. The ramp was made to protect the Goat and its attendant from the common folk who would try to rush them out by pulling on the goat’s hair.
It is an interesting example of a religious practice that may be based on good intentions but applied in a foolish and ridiculous manner. It is quaint in a certain way that they wanted to offload their sins as quickly as possible, but of course the more respectable expression of this eagerness would be to pray fervently. On the whole, the Gemara did not think highly of this practice.
Interestingly, Ben Yehoyada (Erchin 8b) takes the concerns of these rowdy common folk seriously enough to be medayyek in their choice of words. They call out, “Move on and leave, Move on and leave!”, twice. He understands the double language is referring to two forms of evil inclination. The first one is the intrinsic tendency toward physicality and lust that is part and parcel With being human. The second one comes from the supernatural force of evil, stemming from the Sitera Achara, the evil cosmic force in the universe. (Also see Ben Yehoyada Chulin 92a, where he sees another significance in this choice of words.)
It would seem that even the uncouth behavior of the common folk was still considered in some way worthy of learning from. Their eagerness to do Tashlich as it were was recognized as a valuable intention, despite it being applied in an unseemly manner. This is reminiscent of the following Talmudic observation:
Even the empty people among you are as full of mitzvot as the pomegranate is full of seeds. (Sanhedrin 37a.)
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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