Why a Newly Appointed Sage, Bridegroom, and Nasi Are Forgiven

"Saul was a year old when he became king, and he reigned two years over Israel" (I Samuel 13:1). Rabbi Zeira—they wished to appoint him, and he did not wish to accept it upon himself. When he heard this teaching—that a sage, a bridegroom, and a nasi are granted atonement—he accepted it upon himself. A sage: "Before the hoary head you shall rise, and you shall honor the face of an elder" (Leviticus 19:32), and it is written after it, "And if a stranger sojourns with you" (ibid., verse 33). Just as a convert is pardoned for all his transgressions, so too this one—a sage who has been appointed—is pardoned for all his transgressions. A bridegroom: "And Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath" (Genesis 28:9). But was her name Mahalath? Was not her name Basemath? Rather, this teaches that he was pardoned (mochalah) for all his transgressions. A nasi: "Saul was a year old when he became king." But was Saul a year old when he became king? Rather, this teaches that they pardoned him for all his transgressions, and he became like a one-year-old child who has never tasted the taste of sin.