Rabbi Sara led our discussion, starting at Leviticus (Vayikra) 4:3. We discussed offending by mistake/offending unintentionally. Verse 3, which we discussed last session, is about a case in which the person committed an offense but the priest told him to do it. We do not know why the priest did that but can assume it either was through ignorance of the law or of some circumstances, R. Sara told us. We noted that Alter says חָטָא in the kal form means to commit an offense and in the piel form means to remove or cancel. That explains why it is sometimes translated as sin or offense and other times as canceling, removing or purging.
