Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
Midrashim are ideas or stories that explain the Torah. They often come from listening very carefully to what the Torah says and how it says it. Here, we will look for what clues this midrash sees in the Torah's words, and try to understand its messages.
God tells Moshe about the קָרְבַּן חַטָּאת (korban hattat, sin offering). There was a special hattat procedure if the sinner was the כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל (kohen gadol, high priest):
אִ֣ם הַכֹּהֵ֧ן הַמָּשִׁ֛יחַ יֶחֱטָ֖א לְאַשְׁמַ֣ת הָעָ֑ם...
If it is the kohen gadol who sins, so that blame falls upon the people...
A midrash wonders about this last line: how could one person’s sin cause blame to fall upon the entire people?
תָּנֵי רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בַּר יוֹחָאי:
מָשָׁל לִבְנֵי אָדָם שֶׁהָיוּ יוֹשְׁבִין בִּסְפִינָה.
נָטַל אֶחָד מֵהֶן מַקְדֵּחַ וְהִתְחִיל קוֹדֵחַ תַּחְתָּיו.
אָמְרוּ לוֹ חֲבֵרָיו: מַה אַתָּה יוֹשֵׁב וְעוֹשֶׂה?
אָמַר לָהֶם: מָה אִכְפַּת לָכֶם? לֹא תַחְתִּי אֲנִי קוֹדֵחַ?
אָמְרוּ לוֹ: שֶׁהַמַּיִם עוֹלִין וּמְצִיפִין עָלֵינוּ אֶת הַסְּפִינָה.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai taught:
It’s similar to this story. A group of people were on a boat. One of them took out a drill and started drilling underneath himself.
The others said: What are you doing?!
The person replied: Why do you care? Aren’t I drilling underneath my own spot?
The others replied: But the water will rise and flood us all!
This midrash thinks that one person’s actions can have serious repercussions for everyone else.
- In what ways are all Jews “in the same boat” together?
- Are we always responsible for each other’s actions in the same way? Is there something about the kohen gadol that makes his actions especially relevant to the nation as a whole?
- Sometimes, our actions can have a negative impact on those around us–like the person on the boat with the drill. But can you think of times when your actions could have a positive impact on those around you?
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