The commandment of the sacrifice of the court if they erred in instruction: That the Great Sanhedrins offer a sacrifice if they erred and instructed not like the law about weighty sins for which we are liable excision and the community or their leader acted according to their word; as it is stated (Leviticus 4:13), “If the whole community of Israel erred and the thing was hidden, etc.”
I have already written above (Sefer HaChinukh 95) that the sacrifice is intended to humble the desiring soul and to enlarge the intellectual soul. And therefore when a mistake comes to the great ones in something, it is well-known that it happened to them from the weakness of the intellect. And it is fitting to strengthen it in any case. And hence they come to the House upon which the Intellect impacts, do the act of the sacrifice and, by force of the action, put back into their hearts the inferiority of the erring animal soul and the importance of the straight and clear intellect. And from this pure thought, they will pay attention and comprehend with [the execution of] all of their rulings forever.
From the laws of the commandment is (for example,) that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Horayot 4b) that there is a mistake in the instructions [for which] the court is liable to bring a sacrifice, and not (upon) the one who does according to their word, and there is [one] where the doer is liable and not them. And these are from the necessary conditions for which the court would be liable and not the ones doing according to their word: That the instructors be seventy-one; that the head of the yeshivah be with them at the time they instructed; that they all be fit for instruction, as it is stated (Numbers 15:24), “if from the eyes of the community” — [not] until they be eyes for them, meaning to say, until they are fit for instruction; and the majority of them err in this matter that they instructed about; that they instructed explicitly, such that they said to the people, “You are permitted to do [it]”; that all of the congregation — or most of them — do according to their word; that the ones doing it are inadvertent according to their word and imagine that the court instructed properly, and not that those doing knew that they erred and did [it] nonetheless. And also that they instructed to nullify part [of the law] and preserve part of it (Horayot 3b), but not to uproot all of one commandment, as it is stated, “and the thing was hidden” — and not the whole body [of the commandment]. And this is a (teaching) decree of Scripture (gezerat hakatuv). And it is possible that the reason of the matter is that there is no concern that a mistake of uprooting the whole body of the commandment will not be revealed quickly. And when the sin becomes known to them, that they knew the actual thing that they instructed in error, and not that they were in doubt about which thing the error occurred to them — and even if they knew that they certainly erred in one [part]. And even if the sinners informed them and told them, “You erred in this,” since they do not remember that thing exactly, they are exempt; as it is stated (Leviticus 4:14), “And the sin is known” — meaning to say, to them, and not that others inform them. All of these conditions need to be in the thing, such that the court is liable for a sacrifice and not the ones that act according to their word.
And their saying that the court is liable for a sacrifice means to say that the tribes of Israel bring a sacrifice for them, as it is elucidated in Horayot 5b. And if they erred in an instruction about idolatry, the twelve tribes bring twelve bulls for a burnt-offering and twelve goats for a sin-offering; and if in the instruction of other sins of excision for which one is liable a sin-offering when inadvertent, they bring [only] twelve bulls.
And if one [of the conditions] is lacking, one who does according to their word is liable for a fixed sin-offering and [the judges] are exempt. As the Torah only made the court liable for this sacrifice when they are complete — since there is in this instruction for sin of all the people, that their heads err and they be in their completeness.
And the rest of the many angles by which an individual is liable and they are exempt or they are liable and he is exempt; the difference in sacrifices between them, such as that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Horayot 9a), “All of the commandments in the Torah for the volitional transgression of which one is liable excision and for the inadvertent transgression of which one is liable a sin-offering, the individual brings a ewe or female goat, the chieftain brings a male goat and an anointed priest and a court bring a bull” — and that is the high priest that was anointed with anointing oil (Horayot 11b); and the rest of its details are elucidated in Tractate Horayot and in [various] places in Zevachim. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Offerings for Unintentional Transgressions 14.)
מִצְוַת קָרְבַּן בֵּית דִּין אִם טָעוּ בְּהוֹרָאָה – שֶׁיַּקְרִיבוּ סַנְהֶדְרֵי גְּדוֹלָה קָרְבָּן אִם טָעוּ וְהוֹרוּ שֶׁלֹּא כַּהֲלָכָה בַּעֲבֵרוֹת חֲמוּרוֹת שֶׁחַיָּבִין עֲלֵיהֶם כָּרֵת, וְעָשׂוּ הַקָּהָל אוֹ רֻבָּן עַל פִּיהֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא ד יג) וְאִם כָּל עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל יִשְׁגּוּ וְנֶעְלַם דָּבָר וְגוֹ'.
The commandment of the sacrifice of the court if they erred in instruction: That the Great Sanhedrins offer a sacrifice if they erred and instructed not like the law about weighty sins for which we are liable excision and the community or their leader acted according to their word; as it is stated (Leviticus 4:13), “If the whole community of Israel erred and the thing was hidden, etc.”
כְּבָר כָּתַבְתִּי לְמַעְלָה (מצוה צה) כִּי מִכַּוָּנוֹת הַקָּרְבָּן לְהַכְנָעַת נֶפֶשׁ הַמִּתְאַוָּה וּלְהַגְדִּיל נֶפֶשׁ הַשִּׂכְלִית, וְעַל כֵּן בְּהַגִּיעַ אֶל הַגְּדוֹלִים טָעוּת בְּדָבָר יָדוּעַ כִּי בְּחֻלְשַׁת הַשֵּׂכֶל אֵרַע לָהֶם, וּרְאוּיִים לְחַזְּקוֹ עַל כָּל פָּנִים, וְעַל כֵּן יָבוֹאוּ אֶל הַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר שֶׁפַע הַשֵּׂכֶל עָלָיו וְיַעֲשׂוּ מַעֲשֶׂה הַקָּרְבָּן וְיָשִׁיבוּ אֶל לִבָּם בְּכֹחַ הַפְּעֻלָּה גְּרִיעוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַבְּהֵמִית הַטּוֹעָה וַחֲשִׁיבוּת הַשִּׂכְלִית הַמְּיַשֶּׁרֶת וְהַזַּכָּה, וּמִתּוֹךְ מַחֲשֶׁבֶת טָהֳרָה זוֹ יַשְׁגִּיחוּ וְיַשְׂכִּילוּ בְּכָל הוֹרָאוֹתָם לְעוֹלָם.
I have already written above (Sefer HaChinukh 95) that the sacrifice is intended to humble the desiring soul and to enlarge the intellectual soul. And therefore when a mistake comes to the great ones in something, it is well-known that it happened to them from the weakness of the intellect. And it is fitting to strengthen it in any case. And hence they come to the House upon which the Intellect impacts, do the act of the sacrifice and, by force of the action, put back into their hearts the inferiority of the erring animal soul and the importance of the straight and clear intellect. And from this pure thought, they will pay attention and comprehend with [the execution of] all of their rulings forever.
מִדִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. (כְּגוֹן) מַה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (הוריות ד ב) שֶׁיֵּשׁ טָעוּת בְּהוֹרָאוֹת בֵּית דִּין שֶׁהַבֵּית דִּין חַיָּבִין לְהָבִיא הַקָּרְבָּן וְלֹא (עַל) הָעוֹשֶׂה עַל פִּיהֶם, וְיֵשׁ שֶׁהָעוֹשֶׂה חַיָּב וְלֹא הֵם. וְאֵלּוּ מִן הַתְּנָאִים הַצְּרִיכִים בַּדָּבָר שֶׁיִּהְיוּ בֵּית דִּין חַיָּבִין וְלֹא הָעוֹשִׂים עַל פִּיהֶם שֶׁיִּהְיוּ הַמּוֹרִים שֶׁל שִׁבְעִים וְאֶחָד. וְיִהְיֶה רֹאשׁ הַיְּשִׁיבָה עִמָּהֶם בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהוֹרוּ, וְיִהְיוּ כֻּלָּם רְאוּיִם לְהוֹרָאָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר טו כד) אִם מֵעֵינֵי הָעֵדָה עַד שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לָהֶם לְעֵינַיִם, כְּלוֹמַר רְאוּיִן לְהוֹרָאָה, וְיִטְעוּ רֻבָּם בְּדָבָר זֶה שֶׁהוֹרוּ בּוֹ, וְיוֹרוּ בְּפֵרוּשׁ שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ לָעָם מֻתָּרִים אַתֶּם לַעֲשׂוֹת, וְיַעֲשׂוּ כָּל הַקָּהָל אוֹ רֻבָּם עַל פִּיהֶם, וְיִהְיוּ הָעוֹשִׂין שׁוֹגְגִין עַל פִּיהֶם וּמְדַמִּין שֶׁהַדָּבָר שֶׁהוֹרוּ בֵּית דִּין כַּדָּת הוֹרוּ, וְלֹא שֶׁיֵּדְעוּ אוֹתָן עוֹשִׂין שֶׁטָּעוּ וְעָשׂוּ אַף עַל פִּי כֵן. וְעוֹד שֶׁיּוֹרוּ לְבַטֵּל מִקְצָת מִצְוָה וּלְקַיֵּם קְצָתָהּ (הוריות ג ב). אֲבָל לֹא לַעֲקֹר כָּל מִצְוָה אַחַת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא ד יג) וְנֶעְלַם דָּבָר, וְלֹא כָּל הַגּוּף. וְזֶהוּ גְּזֵרַת הַכָּתוּב. וְאֶפְשָׁר כִּי טַעַם הָעִנְיָן שֶׁשִּׁגְגַת עֲקִירַת כָּל גּוּף הַמִּצְוָה אֵין לָחוּשׁ שֶׁלֹּא תִּתְגַּלֶּה בִּמְהֵרָה. וּכְשֶׁיִּוָּדַע לָהֶם הַחַטָּאת, שֶׁיֵּדְעוּ גּוּפוֹ שֶׁל דָּבָר שֶׁהוֹרוּ בּוֹ בִּשְׁגָגָה וְלֹא שֶׁיְּסֻפְּקוּ עַל אֵי זֶה דָּבָר אֵרְעָה לָהֶם הַשְּׁגָגָה וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיֵּדְעוּ כִּי בְּוַדַּאי שָׁגְגוּ בְּאַחַת. וְאַף שֶׁהוֹדִיעוּם הַחוֹטְאִים וְאָמְרוּ לָהֶם בְּזוֹ שְׁגַגְתֶּם, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהֵם אֵינָם זוֹכְרִים אוֹתוֹ דָּבָר בְּכִוּוּן פְּטוּרִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם יד) וְנוֹדְעָה הַחַטָּאת. כְּלוֹמַר, לָהֶם וְלֹא שֶׁיּוֹדִיעוּם אֲחֵרִים. כָּל אֵלֶּה הַתְּנָאִים צְרִיכִין לִהְיוֹת בְּדָבָר שֶׁיִּתְחַיְּבוּ הַבֵּית דִּין בְּקָרְבָּן וְלֹא הָעוֹשִׂים עַל פִּיהֶם.
From the laws of the commandment is (for example,) that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Horayot 4b) that there is a mistake in the instructions [for which] the court is liable to bring a sacrifice, and not (upon) the one who does according to their word, and there is [one] where the doer is liable and not them. And these are from the necessary conditions for which the court would be liable and not the ones doing according to their word: That the instructors be seventy-one; that the head of the yeshivah be with them at the time they instructed; that they all be fit for instruction, as it is stated (Numbers 15:24), “if from the eyes of the community” — [not] until they be eyes for them, meaning to say, until they are fit for instruction; and the majority of them err in this matter that they instructed about; that they instructed explicitly, such that they said to the people, “You are permitted to do [it]”; that all of the congregation — or most of them — do according to their word; that the ones doing it are inadvertent according to their word and imagine that the court instructed properly, and not that those doing knew that they erred and did [it] nonetheless. And also that they instructed to nullify part [of the law] and preserve part of it (Horayot 3b), but not to uproot all of one commandment, as it is stated, “and the thing was hidden” — and not the whole body [of the commandment]. And this is a (teaching) decree of Scripture (gezerat hakatuv). And it is possible that the reason of the matter is that there is no concern that a mistake of uprooting the whole body of the commandment will not be revealed quickly. And when the sin becomes known to them, that they knew the actual thing that they instructed in error, and not that they were in doubt about which thing the error occurred to them — and even if they knew that they certainly erred in one [part]. And even if the sinners informed them and told them, “You erred in this,” since they do not remember that thing exactly, they are exempt; as it is stated (Leviticus 4:14), “And the sin is known” — meaning to say, to them, and not that others inform them. All of these conditions need to be in the thing, such that the court is liable for a sacrifice and not the ones that act according to their word.
וְאָמְרִי שֶׁיִּתְחַיְּבוּ הַבֵּית דִּין קָרְבָּן, רוֹצֶה לוֹמַר שֶׁיָּבִיאוּ קָרְבָּן שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּנֶגְדָּם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּבֹאָר בְּהוֹרָיוֹת (ה, ב). וְאִם בְּהוֹרָאַת עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה שָׁגְגוּ מְבִיאִים שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר שְׁבָטִים שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר פָּרִים לְעוֹלָה וּשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר שְׂעִירִים לְחַטָּאת. וְאִם בְּהוֹרָאַת שְׁאָר כָּרֵתוֹת שֶׁחַיָּבִים עַל שִׁגְגָתָם חַטָּאת, מְבִיאִים שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר פָּרִים.
And their saying that the court is liable for a sacrifice means to say that the tribes of Israel bring a sacrifice for them, as it is elucidated in Horayot 5b. And if they erred in an instruction about idolatry, the twelve tribes bring twelve bulls for a burnt-offering and twelve goats for a sin-offering; and if in the instruction of other sins of excision for which one is liable a sin-offering when inadvertent, they bring [only] twelve bulls.
וְאִם חָסֵר אַחַת הָעוֹשֶׂה עַל פִּיהֶם חַיָּב חַטָּאת קְבוּעָה, וְהֵן פְּטוּרִין, שֶׁלֹּא חִיְּבָה הַתּוֹרָה בֵּית דִּין בְּקָרְבָּן זֶה אֶלָּא כְּשֶׁהֵם בִּשְׁלֵמוּתָם לְפִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּזֶה הוֹרָאָה לְחַטַּאת כָּל הָעָם שֶׁיִּשְׁגּוּ רָאשֵׁיהֶם וְהֵם בִּשְׁלֵמוּתָם.
And if one [of the conditions] is lacking, one who does according to their word is liable for a fixed sin-offering and [the judges] are exempt. As the Torah only made the court liable for this sacrifice when they are complete — since there is in this instruction for sin of all the people, that their heads err and they be in their completeness.
וְיֶתֶר רֻבֵּי הַצְּדָדִין שֶׁהַיָּחִיד חַיָּב וְהֵם פְּטוּרִין, אוֹ הֵם חַיָּבִין וְהוּא פָּטוּר, וְחִלּוּק הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת שֶׁבֵּינֵיהֶם, כְּגוֹן מַה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (שם ט א) כָּל הַמִּצְוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁחַיָּבִין עַל זְדוֹנָן כָּרֵת וְעַל שִׁגְגָתָן חַטָּאת, הַיָּחִיד מֵבִיא כִּשְׂבָּה אוֹ שְׂעִירָה וְהַנָּשִׂיא שָׂעִיר, וְכֹהֵן מָשׁוּחַ וּבֵית דִּין מְבִיאִין פַּר, וְהוּא הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁנִּמְשַׁח בְּשֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה, (שם יא ב). וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֶיהָ מְבֹאָרִין בְּמַסֶּכֶת הוֹרָיוֹת, וּבִמְקוֹמוֹת מִזְּבָחִים [הלכות שגגות פי"ד]
And the rest of the many angles by which an individual is liable and they are exempt or they are liable and he is exempt; the difference in sacrifices between them, such as that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Horayot 9a), “All of the commandments in the Torah for the volitional transgression of which one is liable excision and for the inadvertent transgression of which one is liable a sin-offering, the individual brings a ewe or female goat, the chieftain brings a male goat and an anointed priest and a court bring a bull” — and that is the high priest that was anointed with anointing oil (Horayot 11b); and the rest of its details are elucidated in Tractate Horayot and in [various] places in Zevachim. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Offerings for Unintentional Transgressions 14.)
וְנוֹהֶגֶת בִּזְמַן הַבַּיִת שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָנוּ סַנְהֶדְרֵי גְּדוֹלָה.
And [it] is practiced at the time of the [Temple] when we have Great Sanhedrins.