if the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin-offering. … And the anointed priest shall take of the blood of the bullock, and bring it to the tent of meeting. And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. And the priest shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tent of meeting … And if the whole congregation of Israel shall err, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done any of the things which the LORD hath commanded not to be done, and are guilty … then the assembly shall offer a young bullock for a sin-offering … And the anointed priest shall bring of the blood of the bullock to the tent of meeting. And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil. And he shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tent of meeting … When a ruler sinneth, and doeth through error any one of all the things which the LORD his God hath commanded not to be done, and is guilty … he shall bring for his offering a goat, a male without blemish … (Leviticus 4:3–23, selected passages)
אִם הַכֹּהֵן הַמָּשִׁיחַ יֶחֱטָא לְאַשְׁמַת הָעָם: וְהִקְרִיב עַל חַטָּאתוֹ אֲשֶׁר חָטָא, פַּר בֶּן בָּקָר תָּמִים לַה' לְחַטָּאת ... וְלָקַח הַכֹּהֵן הַמָּשִׁיחַ מִדַּם הַפָּר, וְהֵבִיא אֹתוֹ אֶל אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד. וְטָבַל הַכֹּהֵן אֶת אֶצְבָּעוֹ בַּדָּם, וְהִזָּה מִן הַדָּם שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים לִפְנֵי ה' – אֶת פְּנֵי פָּרֹכֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ. וְנָתַן הַכֹּהֵן מִן הַדָּם עַל קַרְנוֹת מִזְבַּח קְטֹרֶת הַסַּמִּים, לִפְנֵי ה', אֲשֶׁר בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד ...
וְאִם כָּל עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל יִשְׁגּוּ, וְנֶעְלַם דָּבָר מֵעֵינֵי הַקָּהָל, וְעָשׂוּ אַחַת מִכָּל מִצְוֺת ה' אֲשֶׁר לֹא תֵעָשֶׂינָה וְאָשֵׁמוּ: ... וְהִקְרִיבוּ הַקָּהָל, פַּר בֶּן בָּקָר לְחַטָּאת ... וְהֵבִיא הַכֹּהֵן הַמָּשִׁיחַ מִדַּם הַפָּר אֶל אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד. וְטָבַל הַכֹּהֵן אֶצְבָּעוֹ מִן הַדָּם, וְהִזָּה שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים לִפְנֵי ה', אֵת פְּנֵי הַפָּרֹכֶת. וּמִן הַדָּם יִתֵּן עַל קַרְנֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי ה', אֲשֶׁר בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד ...
אֲשֶׁר נָשִׂיא יֶחֱטָא, וְעָשָׂה אַחַת מִכָּל מִצְוֺת ה' אֱלֹהָיו אֲשֶׁר לֹא תֵעָשֶׂינָה בִּשְׁגָגָה – וְאָשֵׁם: ... וְהֵבִיא אֶת קָרְבָּנוֹ, שְׂעִיר עִזִּים זָכָר תָּמִים ...And if any one of the common people sin through error, in doing any of the things which the LORD hath commanded not to be done, and be guilty … then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned … (Leviticus 4:27–28)
וְאִם נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת תֶּחֱטָא בִשְׁגָגָה מֵעַם הָאָרֶץ, בַּעֲשֹׂתָהּ אַחַת מִמִּצְוֺת ה' אֲשֶׁר לֹא תֵעָשֶׂינָה – וְאָשֵׁם: ... וְהֵבִיא קָרְבָּנוֹ, שְׂעִירַת עִזִּים תְּמִימָה נְקֵבָה, עַל חַטָּאתוֹ אֲשֶׁר חָטָא ... (ויקרא ד')
Leviticus 4 describes the sin-offerings of four potential sinners:
- The anointed priest.
- The entire congregation.
- The ruler.
- The ordinary person.
A first reading reveals a clear difference between the first two and the last two. The priest and congregation require a bull, whose blood is sprinkled inside the tent against the veil. The ruler and ordinary person need only a male or female goat, whose blood is put on the burnt-offering altar without being brought inside.
This indicates greater severity in the first cases: the sin defiles even the Tabernacle’s interior. Hence a bull rather than a goat is required, with blood brought inside and sprinkled on the veil to purify the interior; applying it to the outer altar does not suffice.
The severity follows from treating both first cases as communal sin. This is obvious for “if the whole congregation of Israel shall err.” But the anointed priest’s sin too brings guilt on the whole people: “If the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people” (Leviticus 4:3). The reason is clear: he represents Israel before the LORD, bearing their names on his heart in the breastplate of judgment and continually remembering them before Him (Exodus 28:29). His sin is therefore the entire people’s sin.
This produces the essential distinction between priest and ruler: the priest represents the people before the LORD, whereas the ruler is an individual sinner. His offering therefore resembles an ordinary person’s, differing only in the animal’s sex.
This fits the king’s complete absence from the list. The Torah mentions the tribal prince but gives no special place to a national leader, whether king or a leader of all the people like Moses, Joshua, or later the judges.
This can attest to an approach limiting political leadership’s spiritual status: unlike the anointed priest, a political leader does not represent the people before the LORD.
