[Avodah] The Shevatim - free and independent?

[Akiva Miller]

The Yom Kippur Musaf refers to the Kohen Gadol's viduy three times. (If
"viduy" is not the correct term, someone please correct me.)

First, he says, "Chatasi - I sinned, me and my family."
Next, "Chatasi - I sinned, me and my family and the Bnei Aharon, Your holy
people."
Third, "Chat'oo - They sinned, Your people Bnei Yisrael."

I noticed, and was bothered, that in this progression from "me" to "them",
we do not find any "we".

My first thought was that "we" should have appeared in the second vidui,
"We: me and all the kohanim." The simple answer is that as Kohen Gadol, he
is their leader and responsible for them; they are tafel to him, so "Me" is
appropriate. Indeed, the exact same logic applies to the first vidui: Every
baal habayis should take this responsibility of leadership: "*I* sinned -
me and my family."

This left me wondering about the third vidui. Why didn't the Kohen Gadol
continue in this same progression, and say, "I sinned: me, and my family,
and the Kohanim, and all Bnei Yisrael."?

The only answer I can come up with is that this illustrates the divisions
between the shevatim. The shevatim were essentially separate nations,
despite being united for some purposes, and this vidui highlights the
separateness. Once the Kohen Gadol's vidui goes outside of his personal
shevet, it is no longer "me', but becomes "them".

I offer the above as my own conjecture. All comments are welcome. (If
anyone wants to discuss how the shevet of Greater Levi fits in, go for it.)

(As an aside, as a child growing up, I viewed the 50 united States as
merely administrative areas. It took a long time for me to realize - and
even now I often forget - that in truth, "these united Colonies are, and of
Right ought to be Free and Independent States", which banded together only
for specific purposes. The independent Shevatim, and the united Bnei
Yisrael, are similar.)

Akiva Miller
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/attachments/20221006/fcaed665/attachment-0001.htm>