of חטאת rituals, including those performed on the Day of Atonement, we must ask where the meaning of a ritual resides. Is it to be found in the physical activities themselves, as prescribed or described by the text, or in the interpretations of these actions, cryptic as they may be, that the text provides? Since rituals involve activity, the ideal way to study them is by direct observation. But our only access to ancient rituals is through texts, which only reflect rituals, without fully capturing