Derasha 3 on Vayikra 4:3

Parashas Vayikra · Aliyah 5 · Passuk 3

The Complete Passuk

אִ֣ם הַכֹּהֵ֧ן הַמָּשִׁ֛יחַ יֶחֱטָ֖א לְאַשְׁמַ֣ת הָעָ֑ם וְהִקְרִ֡יב עַ֣ל חַטָּאתוֹ֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר חָטָ֜א פַּ֣ר בֶּן־בָּקָ֥ר תָּמִ֛ים לַיהֹוָ֖ה לְחַטָּֽאת׃

Chabad.org — English translation + Rashi

Source Citation

Torah Temima points to Horayos 7a (verified).

E-Daf — Horayos 7a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
לְאַשְׁמַת הָעָם — מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהַמָּשִׁיחַ כַּצִּבּוּר: מַה צִּבּוּר אֵינוֹ חַיָּב אֶלָּא עַל הֶעְלֵם דָּבָר עִם שִׁגְגַת מַעֲשֶׂה, כָּךְ מָשִׁיחַ.

English: “To the guilt of the people” — this teaches that the anointed is like the community: just as the community is liable only for a ruling error with an act of inadvertence, so the anointed.

On the daf / in context: Parallel to the communal bull: the Kohen Gadol’s special chatas requires both a mistaken ruling and an act done on that basis — not a pure act-without-ruling case.

Type of Learning

Custom (comparison via le-ashmat ha-am).

What Is Learned

The anointed High Priest’s bull is required only when his error is like the community’s: a mistaken teaching plus an act.