A Jew was required to bring a sin-offering when he transgressed unknowingly. It might seem strange, perhaps even unjust, that if one sinned through sheer forgetfulness, he was required to bring an animal offering as penance. Chazal maintain, however, that if someone is truly separated from evil, even that sin would not have occurred. A sin is able to penetrate an individual’s defenses because it has found an opening. An inadvertent sin does not just happen, it grows from a tiny spark of evil to which one has not attended. The Medrash states that one who does not bring a sin offering will eventually sin deliberately. Moreover, as Reb Yitzchak Bunim Z”l explains, neglecting to bring the sin-offering might leave guilt feelings which could lead to a lifelong complex. Thus the possible development of a bad habit could be halted by responding to the initial unpremeditated transgression by bringing a sin-offering.
Rabbi Bunim poignantly cites the laws of the sin offering as an example of the Torah‘s concern for maintaining a Jew’s self-esteem. The Yerushalmi (Yevamos 8:3) states “At the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, the sin offering shall also be slain, so as not to publicize the sinners.” A burnt offering was brought not for any specific wrong doing, but rather as a voluntary gift to Hashem, especially if one had experienced sinful thoughts that left him feeling guilty. Since no one escapes cognitive sin, it was not considered disgraceful to bring a burnt offering.
Thus, observers who noticed someone offering a korban that was ritually slaughtered north of the Altar would not know what type of korban it was. This thought is echoed by many of the commentaries. The Torah‘s concern for the sinners’ feelings knows no limits. This should serve as model for us to demonstrate our sensitivity towards our fellow man. We often forget that character assassination is a form of murder for which one can lose his portion in the world to come. Let the Torah’s attitude towards the sinner serve as the paradigm for our relationship with our fellow man.
