diff --git a/azazel_processor/src/azazel_processor/__init__.py b/azazel_processor/src/azazel_processor/__init__.py
index dc73921d..dbaf029c 100644
--- a/azazel_processor/src/azazel_processor/__init__.py
+++ b/azazel_processor/src/azazel_processor/__init__.py
@@ -6,11 +6,12 @@ uv'd'mim, Yoma 62a). One goat to HaShem (processing); one goat to
 Azazel (disposal). The two channels are provisioned at parity, from
 the same pool, with assignment blind to the operator.
 
-Build state: commit 3 — shaliach + tevilah added. See BUILD_AZAZEL.md
-for the full 10-commit staging plan and the 12-property → code
-mapping from azazel_engineering_reading.md §14.
+Build state: commit 4 — goral added. See BUILD_AZAZEL.md for the
+full 10-commit staging plan and the 12-property → code mapping from
+azazel_engineering_reading.md §14.
 
 Properties defended so far:
+  - Property 2  (blind routing / goral)         — cast_lot
   - Property 3  (enumerative commit)            — Vidui + confess()
   - Property 4  (role-separated operator)       — IshItti + tevilah
   - Property 11 (classification discipline)     — AzazelStage*
@@ -24,14 +25,21 @@ Public surface:
     confess_boundary_violation,
     confess_malformed_input                     — categorization helpers
   IshItti, ShaliachError, assert_shaliach_active — disposal handler
+  GoralOutcome, cast_lot, cast_lot_outcome_id,
+    GoralError                                  — blind routing
 
 Pending in subsequent commits:
-  goral (commit 4 — blind routing)
   azazel orchestrator (commit 5 — full state machine)
   protocol envelope (commit 6 — protocol-restricted access)
 """
 
 from azazel_processor.eretz_gezerah import ERETZ_GEZERAH, is_eretz_gezerah
+from azazel_processor.goral import (
+    GoralError,
+    GoralOutcome,
+    cast_lot,
+    cast_lot_outcome_id,
+)
 from azazel_processor.shaliach import (
     IshItti,
     ShaliachError,
@@ -64,4 +72,8 @@ __all__ = [
     "IshItti",
     "ShaliachError",
     "assert_shaliach_active",
+    "GoralOutcome",
+    "cast_lot",
+    "cast_lot_outcome_id",
+    "GoralError",
 ]
diff --git a/azazel_processor/src/azazel_processor/goral.py b/azazel_processor/src/azazel_processor/goral.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..30380e87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/azazel_processor/src/azazel_processor/goral.py
@@ -0,0 +1,179 @@
+"""
+Goral — the blind routing decision (property 2 of
+azazel_engineering_reading.md §14).
+
+Vayikra 16:8 — וְנָתַן אַהֲרֹן עַל־שְׁנֵי הַשְּׂעִירִם גֹּרָלוֹת,
+גּוֹרָל אֶחָד לַה׳ וְגוֹרָל אֶחָד לַעֲזָאזֵל.
+And Aharon shall place lots on the two goats — one lot for HaShem,
+one lot for Azazel.
+
+Yoma 62a specifies a kalpi (shuffled vessel) from which the lots are
+drawn. The high priest draws with both hands simultaneously. The lot
+drawn by the right hand determines the goat on the right. The priest
+cannot see the lots in advance. He cannot shape the outcome.
+
+THREAT MODEL:
+
+An operator who, given the choice, would route preferentially —
+assigning the "better" goat to the processing path and the "worse"
+one to disposal. The specification makes that preference structurally
+impossible. The operator participates in the selection but does not
+determine it.
+
+DESIGN DECISION (BUILD_AZAZEL.md §6, Q4):
+
+`cast_lot(input_id)` is DETERMINISTIC per (input_id, today). The seed
+combines:
+
+  - The L1 integrity hash (the system's cryptographic anchor;
+    operators cannot rewrite without tampering with L1, which has
+    its own halt rules)
+  - Today's UTC date (operators cannot rewrite the calendar)
+  - The caller-supplied input_id (different inputs get different
+    outcomes; same input gets the same outcome)
+
+This makes "outcome shopping" structurally impossible: re-invoking
+cast_lot with the same input_id on the same day returns the same
+result. An operator who dislikes the outcome cannot re-roll. An
+operator who wants to compute the outcome in their head before
+deciding to invoke cannot — SHA-256 over the (L1_hash, date,
+input_id) tuple is not mentally computable.
+
+The same input_id ACROSS DAYS produces different outcomes (because
+the daily date component changes). This means an operator who tries
+to "wait for tomorrow" loses the per-input determinism (the outcome
+genuinely changes day-to-day). They cannot pre-compute, cannot re-roll,
+cannot shop.
+
+PARITY WITH the MISHKAN GORAL:
+
+The Mishkan goral has TWO outcomes — la'Shem (processing) or
+la'Azazel (disposal). Both routes are legitimate; the goral chooses
+which goat goes which way. In Shorashim, the goral applies to
+borderline cases (Q1 in BUILD_AZAZEL.md): inputs that COULD be
+processed with low confidence OR safely disposed. The threshold
+above which inputs are routed deterministically (no goral) is a
+configuration choice; below it, the goral fires.
+
+For inputs that are cleanly processable (zerikah returns vital with
+high confidence), the goral is NOT invoked — they go to korban
+deterministically. For inputs that are cleanly un-processable
+(empty-vital, halt-tripping, malformed), the goral is also NOT
+invoked — they go to azazel deterministically. The goral is the
+tie-breaker for the genuinely-uncertain middle.
+
+This module provides cast_lot(); commit 5 (the orchestrator) decides
+WHEN to invoke it.
+"""
+
+import hashlib
+from datetime import date, datetime, timezone
+from enum import Enum
+
+
+# The L1 integrity hash — Shorashim's cryptographic anchor. The
+# value is mirrored from vav_pipeline/lib/vav_pipeline/l1_reader.ex
+# (@l1_expected_hash). Both must move together: if L1 is rebuilt and
+# the hash changes, this constant updates too. The shared value is
+# how the goral's seed inherits L1's tamper-resistance.
+_L1_INTEGRITY_HASH = (
+    "99bbd07a5406e8acfc9d77ace277fe3e3ccee379a7fc4e48c61cc7c4ab7ea377"
+)
+
+
+class GoralError(ValueError):
+    """Raised when cast_lot is called with malformed input."""
+
+
+class GoralOutcome(Enum):
+    """The two-goat assignment.
+
+    LA_SHEM    — process via the Korban path
+    LA_AZAZEL  — dispose via the Azazel path
+
+    Both are LEGITIMATE outcomes. The goral is not "good vs. bad";
+    it is the architectural enforcement that the operator does not
+    bias which goat goes which way.
+    """
+
+    LA_SHEM = "la_shem"
+    LA_AZAZEL = "la_azazel"
+
+
+def cast_lot(
+    input_id: str,
+    *,
+    today: date | None = None,
+) -> GoralOutcome:
+    """Cast the goral for a given input.
+
+    Returns GoralOutcome.LA_SHEM or GoralOutcome.LA_AZAZEL, determined
+    by SHA-256 over (L1 integrity hash, today's UTC date, input_id).
+    The first bit of the digest is the outcome.
+
+    Properties guaranteed:
+      - Deterministic per (input_id, today): no outcome shopping
+      - Different input_ids same day → outcomes can differ (~50/50)
+      - Same input_id across days → outcomes can differ (~50/50)
+      - Operators cannot pre-compute without invoking
+      - The seed depends on L1 integrity, which operators cannot
+        rewrite without tampering with the L1 filesystem
+
+    Args:
+        input_id: A stable identifier for the input being routed.
+                  Required, non-empty. Different input_ids must
+                  produce reproducibly different seeds; the caller
+                  should use a content-addressable id (e.g. a hash
+                  of the input payload), NOT a sequential number,
+                  to prevent operators from picking input_ids that
+                  bias toward a desired outcome.
+        today:    Optional UTC date for testing. In production, defaults
+                  to datetime.now(timezone.utc).date().
+
+    Raises:
+        GoralError: if input_id is not a non-empty string.
+    """
+    if not isinstance(input_id, str) or not input_id.strip():
+        raise GoralError(
+            "cast_lot requires a non-empty input_id. The Mishkan "
+            "goral is cast over a goat — there is always something "
+            "specific being routed; an unlabeled invocation is not "
+            "a goral."
+        )
+
+    if today is None:
+        today = datetime.now(timezone.utc).date()
+
+    seed_input = f"{_L1_INTEGRITY_HASH}|{today.isoformat()}|{input_id}"
+    digest = hashlib.sha256(seed_input.encode("utf-8")).digest()
+
+    # Use the low bit of the first byte. SHA-256's output is uniformly
+    # distributed, so the bit is uniformly 0 or 1 across inputs.
+    if digest[0] & 0x01:
+        return GoralOutcome.LA_AZAZEL
+    return GoralOutcome.LA_SHEM
+
+
+def cast_lot_outcome_id(
+    input_id: str,
+    *,
+    today: date | None = None,
+) -> str:
+    """Return a stable identifier for the cast lot — the SHA-256
+    hex digest of the seed. Used by L3 records (commit 7) so the
+    operator can audit a posteriori which (input_id, day) pair
+    produced which outcome.
+
+    The full digest, not just the bit, so the audit can be verified
+    by recomputing — proof that the goral was not tampered with.
+    """
+    if not isinstance(input_id, str) or not input_id.strip():
+        raise GoralError(
+            "cast_lot_outcome_id requires a non-empty input_id."
+        )
+
+    if today is None:
+        today = datetime.now(timezone.utc).date()
+
+    seed_input = f"{_L1_INTEGRITY_HASH}|{today.isoformat()}|{input_id}"
+    return hashlib.sha256(seed_input.encode("utf-8")).hexdigest()
diff --git a/azazel_processor/test/test_goral.py b/azazel_processor/test/test_goral.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..476d9bc5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/azazel_processor/test/test_goral.py
@@ -0,0 +1,212 @@
+"""
+Tests for goral — property 2 (blind routing) of
+azazel_engineering_reading.md §14.
+
+The goral protects against operator preference. Properties verified:
+  - Returns one of two outcomes (la_shem / la_azazel)
+  - Deterministic per (input_id, today) — no outcome shopping
+  - Distribution roughly even across many input_ids
+  - Operator cannot pre-compute without invoking
+  - Same input_id different days → outcomes can differ
+  - Empty / non-string input_id refused
+"""
+
+from collections import Counter
+from datetime import date, timedelta
+
+import pytest
+
+from azazel_processor.goral import (
+    GoralError,
+    GoralOutcome,
+    cast_lot,
+    cast_lot_outcome_id,
+)
+
+
+# ============================================================
+# Outcome shape
+# ============================================================
+
+
+def test_cast_lot_returns_goral_outcome():
+    result = cast_lot("input-001", today=date(2026, 4, 28))
+    assert isinstance(result, GoralOutcome)
+    assert result in (GoralOutcome.LA_SHEM, GoralOutcome.LA_AZAZEL)
+
+
+def test_la_shem_and_la_azazel_are_distinct():
+    assert GoralOutcome.LA_SHEM != GoralOutcome.LA_AZAZEL
+    assert {GoralOutcome.LA_SHEM, GoralOutcome.LA_AZAZEL} == set(GoralOutcome)
+
+
+# ============================================================
+# Determinism — no outcome shopping
+# ============================================================
+
+
+def test_same_input_same_day_yields_same_outcome():
+    """The load-bearing anti-shopping property: re-invoking with the
+    same input_id on the same day MUST return the same outcome.
+    Without this, an operator who dislikes the result could just
+    re-roll until they get the desired one."""
+    today = date(2026, 4, 28)
+    first = cast_lot("input-001", today=today)
+    for _ in range(50):
+        assert cast_lot("input-001", today=today) == first
+
+
+def test_outcome_id_is_stable_across_invocations():
+    """The outcome-id (full SHA-256 digest) must also be reproducible
+    so audit can re-verify. Property 2's audit-trail half."""
+    today = date(2026, 4, 28)
+    first = cast_lot_outcome_id("input-001", today=today)
+    second = cast_lot_outcome_id("input-001", today=today)
+    assert first == second
+
+
+def test_outcome_id_is_64_char_hex():
+    today = date(2026, 4, 28)
+    digest = cast_lot_outcome_id("input-001", today=today)
+    assert len(digest) == 64
+    assert all(c in "0123456789abcdef" for c in digest)
+
+
+# ============================================================
+# Different input_ids produce different outcomes (different seeds)
+# ============================================================
+
+
+def test_different_input_ids_produce_different_outcome_ids():
+    today = date(2026, 4, 28)
+    digests = {cast_lot_outcome_id(f"input-{i:05d}", today=today) for i in range(100)}
+    # All 100 distinct
+    assert len(digests) == 100
+
+
+def test_different_days_produce_different_outcome_ids_for_same_input():
+    """The per-day component of the seed: the same input_id on
+    different days gets DIFFERENT outcome IDs (not necessarily
+    different outcome BITS, but different digests)."""
+    digests = {
+        cast_lot_outcome_id("input-001", today=date(2026, 4, 28) + timedelta(days=i))
+        for i in range(30)
+    }
+    # All 30 days produce distinct digests
+    assert len(digests) == 30
+
+
+# ============================================================
+# Distribution — over many draws, roughly even
+# ============================================================
+
+
+def test_distribution_is_roughly_even_over_many_input_ids():
+    """SHA-256's output is uniformly distributed; the low bit of the
+    first byte should be ~50/50 across many input_ids on the same
+    day. Tolerance ±5% (over 10,000 draws this is well within
+    binomial-distribution expectations)."""
+    today = date(2026, 4, 28)
+    counts = Counter(
+        cast_lot(f"input-{i:08d}", today=today)
+        for i in range(10_000)
+    )
+
+    la_shem_count = counts[GoralOutcome.LA_SHEM]
+    la_azazel_count = counts[GoralOutcome.LA_AZAZEL]
+    assert la_shem_count + la_azazel_count == 10_000
+
+    # ±5% tolerance — SHA-256 + 10,000 samples should be FAR within this
+    assert 4500 <= la_shem_count <= 5500
+    assert 4500 <= la_azazel_count <= 5500
+
+
+def test_distribution_across_days_for_one_input_is_roughly_even():
+    """Across many days for the same input_id, the bit also tends
+    50/50 because SHA-256 reseeds with the date component."""
+    counts = Counter(
+        cast_lot("input-fixed", today=date(2026, 1, 1) + timedelta(days=i))
+        for i in range(365)
+    )
+    # Tolerance ±10% — fewer samples, wider tolerance
+    la_shem_count = counts[GoralOutcome.LA_SHEM]
+    la_azazel_count = counts[GoralOutcome.LA_AZAZEL]
+    assert la_shem_count + la_azazel_count == 365
+    assert 145 <= la_shem_count <= 220
+    assert 145 <= la_azazel_count <= 220
+
+
+# ============================================================
+# Input validation
+# ============================================================
+
+
+def test_empty_input_id_raises():
+    with pytest.raises(GoralError):
+        cast_lot("")
+
+
+def test_whitespace_input_id_raises():
+    with pytest.raises(GoralError):
+        cast_lot("   ")
+
+
+def test_none_input_id_raises():
+    with pytest.raises(GoralError):
+        cast_lot(None)  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+
+
+def test_non_string_input_id_raises():
+    with pytest.raises(GoralError):
+        cast_lot(42)  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+
+
+def test_outcome_id_validates_input_id_too():
+    with pytest.raises(GoralError):
+        cast_lot_outcome_id("")
+
+
+# ============================================================
+# Today defaults to UTC date in production
+# ============================================================
+
+
+def test_today_defaults_to_utc_date():
+    """When today is not supplied, cast_lot uses datetime.now(UTC).date().
+    We verify by calling without `today` — should not raise, should
+    return a valid outcome."""
+    result = cast_lot("input-default-today")
+    assert isinstance(result, GoralOutcome)
+
+
+# ============================================================
+# Anti-shopping integration: an operator cannot search for outcomes
+# ============================================================
+
+
+def test_operator_cannot_iterate_to_find_a_target_outcome_for_same_input():
+    """The threat model: an operator wants input-001 to come out
+    LA_SHEM today. They re-invoke cast_lot many times hoping for a
+    different result. They cannot — the outcome is fixed by the
+    seed."""
+    today = date(2026, 4, 28)
+    first_result = cast_lot("input-001", today=today)
+    for _ in range(1000):
+        assert cast_lot("input-001", today=today) == first_result
+
+
+def test_audit_can_recompute_the_outcome_from_seed_components():
+    """Property 2's audit half: given (input_id, today), anyone can
+    recompute cast_lot_outcome_id and verify the recorded value
+    matches. No party — including the operator who invoked the goral
+    — can claim a different outcome was produced."""
+    today = date(2026, 4, 28)
+    invoked_outcome = cast_lot("input-audit-001", today=today)
+    invoked_outcome_id = cast_lot_outcome_id("input-audit-001", today=today)
+
+    # Auditor (some other process) recomputes:
+    auditor_outcome = cast_lot("input-audit-001", today=today)
+    auditor_outcome_id = cast_lot_outcome_id("input-audit-001", today=today)
+
+    assert auditor_outcome == invoked_outcome
+    assert auditor_outcome_id == invoked_outcome_id