וְאִ֨ם כָּל־עֲדַ֤ת יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ יִשְׁגּ֔וּ וְנֶעְלַ֣ם דָּבָ֔ר מֵעֵינֵ֖י הַקָּהָ֑ל וְ֠עָשׂוּ אַחַ֨ת מִכָּל־מִצְוֺ֧ת יְהוָ֛ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־תֵעָשֶׂ֖ינָה וְאָשֵֽׁמוּ׃
Si toute la communauté d’Israël commet une erreur, de sorte qu’un devoir se trouve méconnu par l’assemblée, que celle-ci contrevienne à quelqu’une des défenses de l’Éternel et se rende ainsi coupable;
Ibn Ezra
This is the law of the guilt-offering The reason for mentioning this passage is to discuss suet, which is not mentioned in the laws of the guilt-offering. I have already shown you the difference between “sin” and “guilt” [comment on 5:17], even though Scripture sometimes uses the terms interchangeably.
Bartenura
שהן ארבע – from their words (i.e., the Rabbis), they added two, to prohibit ab initio a case where the work is done by two people – this one uprooting and this place setting it down, for two who did it are exempt, as it states (Leviticus 4:27): “by doing any of the things which by the LORD’s commandments ought not to be done, [and he realizes his guilt].” The one who does all of it, but not the one who does part of it, and similarly, in all the labors of Shabbat we say that an individual who did it is liable; two who did it are exempt.
Kli Yakar
And to the elders of Israel. We do not find that he spoke anything to the elders, and if as the commentators say that he spoke to Aaron in front of the elders of Israel so that they would not say that Aaron entered into the service on his own initiative, it was already stated in Parshat Tzav (8:3), And gather all the congregation, etc., and there he was inducted into the service in front of the entire congregation, so why was this necessary here a second time? It seems to me that it is because it is stated (Leviticus 4:13–15), And if the entire congregation of Israel shall err… and the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. Similarly, regarding these communal offerings that came for atonement for and they slaughtered a goat (Genesis 37:31) and for the sin of the Golden Calf, presumably they followed all the instructions detailed in Parshat Vayikra regarding the communal sin-offering, therefore he called for the elders. And although it is not mentioned here that they laid their hands [on the offerings], nevertheless they presumably performed the laying of hands. And although every communal sin-offering is a bull, this case is different because they sinned with a goat and a calf, therefore God wanted them to bring a goat and a calf.