Daily Zohar # 5165 – Vayikra – Who is responsible for the people

Hebrew translation:

.

Zohar Vayikra
Continued from previous DZ
#334
And all this was when the men were found in sin, and they were not worthy that the Holy Spirit should dwell upon them. Certainly, “וְאִם כָּל עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל יִשְׁגּוּ” etc. (Leviticus 4:13) — as we have established that they erred in instruction (Horayot 5a).
But he says: If it had been written “if all Israel shall err,” it would have been sufficient. What is the meaning of “all the congregation of Israel”? The word “congregation” (edah) is extra.
And he answers: Rather, it refers to those who are found in Jerusalem, from where the Torah goes forth to all the people. And if those who are there erred, all Israel are found to err, because they all follow after them. And we have learned: Once they erred there in Jerusalem, the whole people erred, because they are all drawn after them.
“וְנֶעְלָם דָּבָר מֵעֵינֵי הַקָּהָל” “And the thing was hidden from the eyes of the congregation” (Leviticus 4:13) — “the eyes of the congregation” are the Sanhedrin. These are the ones appointed over Israel.
Notes:
The Zohar explains that the sin-offering for the entire congregation applies when the leaders in Jerusalem — the source of Torah instruction for all Israel — err in their rulings. The extra word “congregation” (עדה) points specifically to the Sanhedrin, the “eyes of the congregation,” whose mistakes cause the whole nation to err because the people follow their guidance.
This highlights the profound responsibility of Torah scholars and judges: their errors affect the entire community. The verse teaches that when the central authorities in Jerusalem sin unintentionally, the whole people requires atonement. The teaching emphasizes the unity of Israel — the spiritual state of the leaders directly impacts the entire nation.

{||}