One of the three reasons for the required three Chatas was the intent of Avodah Zarah. Doesn't such intent make the action MAZID, in which case a Chatas should not be applicable?
Mayeer Karkowsky
Hi Mayeer,
You are certainly correct that if a person knowingly and intentionally serves Avodah Zarah, he is a Mezid and does not bring a Chatas.
However, the Torah's Parshah of Korban Chatas for Avodah Zarah is discussing a very different type of case: someone who intentionally performed the act of worship, but mistakenly believed that it was permitted.
In other words, the Shogeg here is not that he accidentally bowed down or accidentally performed the act. Rather, he knowingly performed the act, but erred regarding the Halachah itself.
The Ramban (Bamidbar 15:22-31) explains that the Torah is referring to situations in which an individual or even an entire community became disconnected from Torah observance and came to believe that Avodah Zarah was permissible. He gives examples such as a Jew who was absorbed among the nations and never learned the Torah properly, or a generation that forgot the Torah under the influence of foreign cultures or governments.
Accordingly, there is no contradiction. The person fully intended to perform the act of Avodah Zarah, but he did not know that it was forbidden. Such a case is classified as Shogeg and is precisely the type of situation for which the Torah prescribes a Chatas.
Kol Tuv,
Aharon Steiner