Study Horayot folio 7A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
צבור מוצא מכלל יחיד, ומשיח מוצא מכלל יחיד. מה צבור אין חייבין אלא על העלם דבר עם שגגת מעשה, אף משיח לא יהא חייב אלא על העלם דבר עם שגגת מעשה.
The general public is removed from the category of an individual, as an individual brings a ewe or female goat as a sin-offering, whereas when the general public sins the sin-offering is a bull. And likewise, an anointed priest is removed from the category of an individual, as his sin-offering is also a bull. Therefore, just as the general public is liable only for absence of awareness of the matter by the court together with unwitting performance of an action by the people, so too, an anointed priest will be liable only for absence of awareness of the matter together with unwitting performance of an action.
או כלך לדרך זו: נשיא מוצא מכלל יחיד, ומשיח מוצא מכלל יחיד. מה נשיא מביא בשגגת מעשה בלא העלם דבר, אף משיח מביא בשגגת מעשה בלא העלם דבר!
Or perhaps go this way and draw a different analogy: A king [Nasi] is removed from the category of an individual, as his sin-offering is a goat. And an anointed priest is removed from the category of an individual. Therefore, just as a king brings an offering for unwitting performance of an action, even without absence of awareness of the matter leading to an erroneous ruling, like any individual liable to bring a sin-offering, so too, an anointed priest brings an offering for unwitting performance of an action, even without absence of awareness of the matter leading to an erroneous ruling. It is possible to liken the anointed priest to either the general public or to the king.
נראה למי דומה? צבור – בפר ואין מביאין אשם תלוי, ומשיח – בפר ואין מביא אשם תלוי. מה צבור אינו חייב אלא על העלם דבר עם שגגת מעשה, אף משיח לא יהא חייב אלא על העלם דבר עם שגגת מעשה.
The Talmud considers these two comparisons: Let us see to which of them, the general public or the king, an anointed priest is similar. The general public achieves atonement with a bull and does not bring a provisional guilt-offering, and an anointed priest achieves atonement with a bull and does not bring a provisional guilt-offering. Therefore one might say: Just as the general public is liable only for absence of awareness of the matter by the court together with unwitting performance of an action by the people, so too, an anointed priest will be liable only for absence of awareness of the matter together with unwitting performance of an action.