תָּנֵי חִזְקִיָּה (ירמיה נ, יז): שֶׂה פְזוּרָה יִשְׂרָאֵל, נִמְשְׁלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְשֶׂה, מַה שֶּׂה הַזֶּה לוֹקֶה עַל רֹאשׁוֹ אוֹ בְּאֶחָד מֵאֵבָרָיו וְכָל אֵבָרָיו מַרְגִּישִׁין, כָּךְ הֵן יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶחָד מֵהֶן חוֹטֵא וְכֻלָּן מַרְגִּישִׁין, (במדבר טז, כב): הָאִישׁ אֶחָד יֶחֱטָא, 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. כָּךְ אָמַר אִיּוֹב (איוב יט, ד): וְאַף אָמְנָם שָׁגִיתִי אִתִּי תָּלִין מְשׁוּגָתִי, אָמְרוּ לוֹ חֲבֵרָיו (איוב לד, לז): כִּי יֹסִיף עַל חַטָּאתוֹ פֶשַׁע בֵּינֵינוּ יִשְׂפּוֹק, אַתָּה מַסְפִּיק בֵּינֵינוּ אֶת עֲוֹנוֹתֶיךָ. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָשֵׂא גּוֹי אֶחָד שָׁאַל אֶת רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן קָרְחָה, כְּתִיב בְּתוֹרַתְכֶם (שמות כג, ב): אַחֲרֵי רַבִּים לְהַטֹּת, אָנוּ מְרֻבִּים מִכֶּם מִפְּנֵי מָה אֵין אַתֶּם מַשְׁוִין עִמָּנוּ בַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה. אָמַר לוֹ, יֵשׁ לְךָ בָּנִים, אָמַר לוֹ הִזְכַּרְתַּנִּי צָרָתִי, אָמַר לוֹ לָמָּה, אָמַר לוֹ הַרְבֵּה בָּנִים יֵשׁ לִי, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהֵן יוֹשְׁבִין עַל שֻׁלְחָנִי זֶה מְבָרֵךְ לֵאלוֹהֵי פְּלוֹנִי וְזֶה מְבָרֵךְ לֵאלוֹהֵי פְּלוֹנִי, וְאֵינָם עוֹמְדִים מִשָּׁם עַד שֶׁמְפַצְּעִין אֶת מֹחָן אֵלּוּ אֶת אֵלּוּ. אָמַר לוֹ וּמַשְׁוֶה אַתָּה עִמָּהֶן, אָמַר לוֹ, לֹא. אָמַר לוֹ, עַד שֶׁאַתָּה מַשְׁוֶה אוֹתָנוּ, לֵךְ הַשְׁוֵה אֶת בָּנֶיךָ, נִדְחַף וְהָלַךְ לוֹ. כֵּיוָן שֶׁיָּצָא אָמְרוּ לוֹ תַּלְמִידָיו, רַבִּי, לָזֶה דָּחִיתָ בְּקָנֶה רָצוּץ, לָנוּ מָה אַתָּה מֵשִׁיב, אָמַר לָהֶם בְּעֵשָׂו כְּתִיב בֵּיה שֵׁשׁ נְפָשׁוֹת וּכְתִיב בּוֹ נְפָשׁוֹת הַרְבֵּה, דִּכְתִיב (בראשית לו, ו): וַיִּקַח עֵשָׂו אֶת נָשָׁיו וְאֶת בָּנָיו וְאֶת בְּנֹתָיו וְאֶת כָּל נַפְשׁוֹת בֵּיתוֹ, וּבְיַעֲקֹב שִׁבְעִים נָפֶשׁ וּכְתִיב בֵּיהּ נֶפֶשׁ אֶחָת, דִּכְתִיב (שמות א, ה): וַיְהִי כָּל נֶפֶשׁ יֹצְאֵי יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב שִׁבְעִים נָפֶשׁ, אֶלָּא עֵשָׂו שֶׁהוּא עוֹבֵד לֶאֱלֹהוֹת הַרְבֵּה כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ נְפָשׁוֹת הַרְבֵּה, אֲבָל יַעֲקֹב שֶׁהוּא עוֹבֵד לֶאֱלוֹהַּ אֶחָד כְּתִיב בּוֹ נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת, וַיְהִי כָּל נֶפֶשׁ וגו'.
Hezkiya taught (Jeremiah 50:17): "Israel are scattered sheep" - why are Israel likened to a sheep? Just as a sheep, when hurt on its head or some other body part, all of its body parts feel it. So it is with Israel when one of them sins and everyone feels it. (Numbers 16:22): "When one man sins [will You be wrathful with the whole community]." Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai taught a parable: Men were on a ship. One of them took a drill and started drilling underneath him. The others said to him: What are sitting and doing?! He replied: What do you care. Is this not underneath my area that I am drilling?! They said to him: But the water will rise and flood us all on this ship. This is as Iyob said (Job 19:4): "If indeed I have erred, my error remains with me." But his friends said to him (Job 34:37): "He adds transgression to his sin; he extends it among us." [The men on the ship said]: You extend your sins among us. Rabbi Elasa said: a gentile asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karha: In your Torah, it is written (Exodus 23:2): "After the multitude will you side." We are more numerous than you, so why don't you become like us in practicing idolatry? He [Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karha] said to him: Do you have children? He replied: You reminded me of my troubles. He asked: Why? [The gentile] said: I have many children. When they sit at my table, this one blesses to this god and that one blesses to that god, and they don't get up from the table until they wrack each other's brains. He [Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karha] said: Do you settle [the arguments] with them? He said: No. He [Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karha] said: Before you make us agree with you, find agreement with your own children! [The gentile] was spurned and went away. After he left [Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karha's] students said to him: Rabbi! You pushed him away like a broken reed, but what would you answer for us? He said to them: Six souls are about written [in the Torah] about Esau, and "souls" [nefashot] is written in the plural, as stated (Genesis 36:6): "Esau took his wives, his sons and daughters, and all the souls of his household." For Yaakov, however, there were seventy souls, and soul [nefesh] is written [in the Torah] in the singular. As it is stated (Exodus 1:5): "And all of the people [nefesh] that were of Jacob's issue, etc." Because Esau worshipped many gods, it is written many "souls," but for Yaakov--who worshipped one God--it is written one soul, "And all of the people [nefesh], etc."
