This sheet on Leviticus 4 was written by Shai Held for 929 and can also be found here
Human societies require leaders. But with hierarchy of any kind comes the perennial temptation of abuse of power. It may be almost inevitable that leaders will stray, and sometimes even commit grave crimes. The path fallen leaders choose has vast implications not only for the leaders themselves but also for the entire society they lead.
The chapter catalogues the various situations in which a purification offering (hatat) is required. After opening with a general description—“When a person unwittingly incurs guilt in regard to any of the Lord’s commandments about things not to be done, and does one of them” (Leviticus 4:2)—it goes on to describe the requirements in each case. The same introductory word—“if” (im)—is employed each time: “If (im) it is the anointed priest who has incurred guilt...” (4:3); “If (im) it is the whole community of Israel that has erred...” (4:13); and so on.
But one lone case reads differently: “In case (asher) it is a chieftain who incurs guilt by doing any one of the things which by the commandment of the Lord his God ought not to be done unwittingly.” (4:22). There is something odd about this shift from “if” to “in case,” and it leaves the reader wondering why the usual formula is altered.
Noting that “unwittingly” appears to be a misplaced modifier, the Netziv (R. Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin, 1816-1893) understands our verse to be “hinting” at a radical claim: “The [leader’s] elevated status causes him to commit sins that are so egregious that [ordinary] people do not even commit them unwittingly” (Ha’amek Davar to Leviticus 4:22).
The point these interpreters make is sobering: The leader, they argue, does not sin despite his exalted position but precisely because of it. Power all too often leads to a sense of not being accountable to the same standards as “regular people” are. So the Torah warns the leader: Your status does not raise you above the moral (or religious) law.
Since leaders are only flesh and blood, they are bound to be less-than-perfect. In light of this, the question we face as a community is what kind of imperfect leaders we want. We learn from here that we should seek flawed leaders who are genuinely capable, without dissembling or descending into double-speak, of taking responsibility for their failings and nurture a culture in which people are able to say, “I have sinned against God.”
Rabbi Shai Held is President, Dean, and Chair in Jewish Thought at Hadar
929 is the number of chapters in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, the formative text of the Jewish heritage. It is also the name of a cutting-edge project dedicated to creating a global Jewish conversation anchored in the Hebrew Bible. 929 English invites Jews everywhere to read and study Tanakh, one chapter a day, Sunday through Thursday together with a website with creative readings and pluralistic interpretations, including audio and video, by a wide range of writers, artists, rabbis, educators, scholars, students and more. As an outgrowth of the web-based platform, 929 English also offers classes, pop-up lectures, events and across North America. We invite you to learn along with us and be part of our dynamic community.
To join 929's listserv for new and dynamic content each week click here
