The posuk begins with the singular “chreh” and finishes with the plural “uchre,.” What is the reason for this change in the posuk? When man sins, he believes that his transgression affects only himself. This is not true. An individual’s sin affects the whole group. The Midrash compares the concept of individual sin to one who is aboard a ship and begins to make a hole in its bottom. When the other members of the ship’s group chastise him, he remarks that he is only making the hole in his portion of the ship. He either doesn’t realize or perhaps doesn’t care that the hole in his portion of the ship will cause the ship to sink all the same. His mistake will affect everyone in his group. This same concept applies to sin. “Every Jew is responsible one for another“. The blemishing effect of one Jew’s sin affects everyone else. Similarly when one repents and offers a sacrifice to Hashem, he not only atones for himself, but elevates the whole congregation with him. The above posuk, although it begins with the singular which reflects the individual that sins, ends with the plural, which reflects the ultimate total effect on the group.
