משנה: אֵין חַייָבִין אֶלָא עַל הֶעֱלֵם דָּבָר עִם שִׁגְגַת הַמַּעֲשֶׂה וְכֵן הַמָּשִׁיחַ. וְלֹא בַעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה אֶלָּא עַל הֶעֱלֵם דָּבָר עִם שִׁגְגַת הַמַּעֲשֶׂה. MISHNAH: They27The High Court. are liable only for forgetting a topic28There must be an element of oblivion in their ruling; either forgetting a certain law or that it applies in the given situation. with action in error; the same applies to the Anointed. Also for idolatry29Since it was stated in Horayot 1:8:2-5" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Horayot.1.8.2-5">Halakhah 1:8 that the special offerings required for the sin of idolatry follow the rules of the bull required for all other infractions. only for forgetting a topic with action in error.
הלכה: אֵין חַייָבִין אֶלָא עַל הֶעֱלֵם דָּבָר כול׳. רִבִּי זְעִירָא בְשֵׁם רַב יִרְמְיָה. מַתְנִיתָא דְּרִבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹ דִייֵק רִבִּי מֵאִיר. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי. רִבִּי מֵאִיר דּוּ אָמַר. חוֹבַת בֵּית דִּין הִיא. אָמַר רִבִּי מָנָא כְּרִבִּי מֵאִיר. תַּנֵּי תַמָּן. הוֹרוּ בֵית דִּין וְעָשׂוּ קָהָל. מֵת אֶחָד מִבֵּית דִּין פְּטוּרִין. מֵת אֶחָד מִן הַצִּיבּוּר חַייָבִין. אָמַר לָהֶן רִבִּי מֵאִיר. אִם לַאֲחֵרִים הוּא פוֹטֵר לֹא כָל־שֶׁכֵּן עַל עַצְמוֹ. אָֽמְרוּ לוֹ. יִפְטוֹר לַאֲחֵרִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶן בַּמֶּה לִתְלוֹת. וְאַל יִפְטוֹר לְעַצְמוֹ שֶׁאֵין לוֹ בַּמֶּה לִתְלוֹת. HALAKHAH: “They are liable only for forgetting,” etc. Rebbi Zeˋira in the name of Rav Jeremiah. The Mishnah30The spelling in B is a scribal error. is Rebbi Meïr’s or has inferences like Rebbi Meïr31It is difficult to make sense of this statement. The version of B is straightforward: “Which R. Meïr?” Meaning, which statement of R. Meïr fits the Mishnah? The answer to this question is given by R. Yose. Since the Mishnah refers to the Court’s, not to the public’s monetary responsibility, it must accept R. Meïr’s position which, being formulated as anonymous doctrine, becomes practice.. Rebbi Yose said, Rebbi Meïr who said, it is an obligation of the Court. 32This text is from Horayot 2:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Horayot.2.1">Halakhah 1:8, Notes 185–188. (There, R. Zeˋira reports in the name of a Sage whose identity is not clear.) Rebbi Mana said, following Rebbi Meïr. There, it was stated: If the Court ruled and the public acted. If a member of the Court died, they are not liable. If a member of the public died, they are liable. Rebbi Meïr told them, if he relieves others of their liability, not so much more for himself? They told him, he can relieve others of their liability since they have where to hang on; he cannot relieve himself of liability since he has nothing to hang on.
רִבִּי יִרְמְיָה בְעָא קוֹמֵי רִבִּי זְעִירָא. מַה כְרִבִּי. אִין. מָשִׁיחַ בִּשִׁיגְּגַת מַעֲשֶׂה הוּא. וְאִין כְרָבָּנִן. בְּהֶעֱלֵם דָּבָר הוּא. אָמַר רִבִּי הוּנָא. עַל רַבָּנִן נִצְרְכָה. שֶׁלֹּא תֹאמַר. מָשִׁיחַ וָעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה. רִבִּי אָמַר. בִּשִׁגְּגַת מַעֲשֶׂה. וְרַבָּנִן אָֽמְרִין. בְּהֶעֱלֵם דָּבָר. אָמַר מה לקל מה בְּגִין דְּלֹא תַנִּינָן מָשִׁיחַ. וְהָא קַדְמִיתָא לֹא תַנֵּינָן מָשִׁיחַ וּמָשִׁיחַ בִּכְלָל. וָכָא אַף עַל גַּב דְּלֹא תַנִּינָן מָשִׁיחַ מָשִׁיחַ בִּכְלָל. Rebbi Jeremiah asked before Rebbi Zeˋira: Maybe following Rebbi? If33There is a lacuna in the text which must be filled by the text of B:
[Does it follow Rebbi, for Rebbi said,] the Anointed refers to the case of action in error, but for the rabbis, it refers to forgetting a topic.
In contrast to the Mishnah, which for the High Priest as for the Court requires both an element of oblivion and acting in error, Rebbi points out that for the Court, the forgetting is the Court’s but the action in error is the public’s. Rebbi compares the status of the High Priest to that of the Court. Since for general errors the Mishnah states that the same rules apply to the High Priest as to the Court, the argument must be about the sin of idolatry where the High Priest is not mentioned. The rabbis note that the High Priest does not have the status of the Court vis-a-vis the public; his rulings are private, not public actions. Therefore, he cannot be held responsible unless he act. They do not deny that an element of oblivion is required to trigger the obligation of the purification sacrifice. the Anointed, error in action it is. But if the rabbis, oblivion of a topic it is. Rebbi Huna34The reading “R. Huna”, a student of R. Jeremiah, is preferable to the reading of B: “R. Hiyya”, the teacher of R. Zeˋira. said, it was needed for the rabbis. That you should not say, the Anointed and idolatry: Rebbi said, in acting in error; the rabbis said, in forgetting a topic. He said [ ]35The text of the ms., “what for easy what” seems corrupt. It is better to follow the reading of B: “He said to them, why? Because … “. The Anointed is not mentioned in the last sentence of the Mishnah, but this does not mean that the rule given there does not apply to him., because we did not state about the Anointed. But in the former36In Horayot 2:2:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Horayot.2.2.1">Mishnah 2, in the last sentence about idolatry the High Priest is not mentioned but everybody agrees that it also applies to him; so the parallel sentence in Horayot 2:3:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Horayot.2.3.1">Mishnah 3 also must apply to him. The Mishnah strictly follows the rabbis, not Rebbi., we did not state about the Anointed but the Anointed is included, and here, even though we did not state about the Anointed, the Anointed is included.