Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Numbers 5:7/אור החיים על במדבר ה׳:ז׳
אוְהֵשִׁיב אֶת אֲשָׁמוֹ. שִׁנָּה לְדַבֵּר לְשׁוֹן יָחִיד, הֲגַם שֶׁהִתְחִיל לְדַבֵּר לְשׁוֹן רַבִּים ״וְהִתְוַדּוּ״, לְצַד שֶׁהַוִּדּוּי שָׁוִים הֵם בּוֹ, מַה שֶׁאֵין כֵּן הָאָשָׁם אֵינוֹ בְּהַשְׁוָאָה, לְצַד שֶׁהוּא בְּעוֹלֶה וְיוֹרֵד כָּאָמוּר בְּפָרָשַׁת וַיִּקְרָא (ויקרא ה:ז-יג), וְגָמַר הַכָּתוּב לְדַבֵּר בְּשִׁעוּר זֶה לְשׁוֹן יָחִיד, כִּי אֵין צֹרֶךְ לְשַׁנּוֹת לִכְתֹּב בְּעִנְיָן אַחֵר.
1 והשיב את אשמו, and he shall make restitution for his guilt, etc. The Torah again switched to use of the singular although the verse had commenced by speaking about sinners in the plural confessing their guilt. The reason is that when it comes to having to confess one's guilt all sinners are in a similar situation. When it comes to making restitution, however, this is not so as the Torah makes allowances for poor people whose sin-offering consists of lower priced birds or even a meal-offering only. We have learned this in Leviticus 5,7-5,13.