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The High Priest is removed from his position if he develops a physical blemish that makes his service invalid. A leader is removed if he develops a sickness of tzaraat – spiritual leprosy – or if he is deposed.
Who is that leader that the Torah describes as “Prince, or Nasi,” to whom the above laws are applicable? That is the king, as the Torah describes him, “one who has no superior except God.”
The king is a servant of the people, as we see from the following story. Rabban Gamliel and Rabbi Yehoshua were traveling together on a ship, Rabban Gamliel had bread, and Rabbi Yehoshua had bread and flour. When Rabban Gamliel ran out of bread, he was sustained by Rabbi Yehoshua's flour. Said he to Rabbi Yehoshua, “Why were you so provident?” Rabbi Yehoshua replied that there is a star that misleads sailors, and it shows once in 70 years. “If you are so smart,” - said Rabban Gamliel - “Why do you have to travel on business?” Rabbi Yehoshua replied, “Before you help me, help your two students, Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yochanan, who know how to count every drop in the sea, but don't have bread. Rabban Gamliel wanted to appoint them heads of Yeshiva, but they did not want to. So he told them, “Don't think that I am making you rulers, rather, I am making you servants.”
Art: Emil Carlsen - Moonlilt Seascape
If the transgression was that of idol worship, an individual, the leader, and the anointed priest bring a she-goat, whereas the court brings a bull and a he-goat. The bull as completely burned on the Altar, and the goat is a sin-offering, which is partially eaten by the priests.
If one violated a commandment, resulting in a guilt-offering, and furthermore if he is in doubt about this, both an and a leader of the community bring a “doubtful guilt-offering,” but the anointed priest and the court are exempt. Regarding a definite guilt-offering, an individual, the leader, and the priest are liable, but the court is exempt.
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The court does not bring a bull sacrifice if they rule incorrectly about a purity aspect of the Temple service, since an individual brings a different sin offering for that. Rather, it should be an error leading to a regular sin-offering, for example, the positive commandment of husband and wife to abstain before the day of expected menses, and a negative commandment not to have relations with the wife who has not been to the mikvah.
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If the High Priest, anointed for service with Temple oil, is himself a Sage and ruled that something normally forbidden on the pain of excision is allowed, and then, without realizing his mistake, performed the act, he brings a special sacrifice, the “Anointed Kohen's bull.” If he knowingly ruled incorrectly or knowingly performed the forbidden act, he does not bring this sacrifice. His law is thus similar to the court's ruling that it makes for the community.
If he ruled incorrectly together with the court and performed the act together with the congregation, he does not bring his special sacrifice but is atoned for by the communal “sacrifice of forgetfulness” bull. Just as the court is only liable if it negates a part of a commandment, but not the whole commandment, so too the High Priest.
Art: John Byam Liston Shaw - And Who Knoweth Whether He Shall Be A Wise Man Or A Fool
Incidentally, they were not all “burnt offerings,” rather, the goats were sin-offerings. If so, why are they called this? - because the goats were sin-offerings for idol worship, but like the burnt offering, they were not eaten by the priest.
According to Rabbi Yehudah, who says that if some of the tribes sinned, every tribe brings a goat, we understand twelve goats. According to Rabbi Shimon, who says that tribes do not “drag” each other into asking for forgiveness, eleven tribes sinned and brought eleven offerings, and the twelfth was brought by the court. But according to Rabbi Meir, who says that only the court brings the offering, why were twelve offerings required? Rabbi Meir answers that the court sinned, changed its mind, sinned again, changed its mind again, and so on, twelve times.
If, after the mistake of the court, one of the Jews dies, they still bring an offering – since the congregation never dies – but if one of the judges dies, they do not bring an offering.
Art: Jan Victors- Jacob Seeking Forgiveness of Esau
How many bulls are brought? There are multiple opinions about it: some say that the court brings the offering, and some – that the congregation of people does it. Furthermore, each tribe is called a congregation, so there are opinions that each tribe brings an offering, some tribes bring it, and even that all tribes bring it if one tribe sinned. Some opinions require the court of a single tribe to bring an offering, but the Sages say that liability exists only for the error of the Great Sanhedrin of seventy one, which was located on the Temple Mount, in the Chamber of Hewn Stones.
Art: Paulus Potter - Young Bull 1647
What happens if an individual did it because he has not heard that the court has retracted? Rabbi Shimon always exempts him. Rabbi Elazar says that his error is in doubt, and therefore he must bring a special guilt-offering. This applies when he stayed at home and could check on the court opinion before doing the act. If he went overseas, he is completely exempt.
The court needs to forget only part of the law, but not the complete law. For example, if they ruled that there is no Shabbat in the Torah, they are exempt from the bull offering, but if they said, “There is Shabbat in the Torah, but one is allowed to carry things from one's house into the street,” - then they are liable to a communal-error bull offering.
Art: Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Man Carrying a Boy
