If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally... (Leviticus 4:2)When Leviticus uses the phrase sins unintentionally, it might be better rendered as wanders away into sin or does wrong. Ignorance of the law was no excuse. If someone (or a group) engaged in actions or behaviors and only later found out those things were infractions of the law, he was (they were) still guilty. The real difference between the sin offering and the guilt offering was that the sin offering was for more general sins, while the guilt offering included restitution for harming or injuring another person.
Whether between persons, or between humanity and God, these laws are for maintaining relationship and restoring that relationship once it has been broken.
An interesting component of this passage is the concept of community sin. Too often we think of sin as only an individual's offense rather than allowing for the idea of sin shared by the entire community.
Are there sins for which our communities (neighborhoods, congregations, ethnic groups, genders, countries, etc.) need to repent? How can we encourage or facilitate repentance on a community-wide level?
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