How Many Elders Must Lay Hands on the Communal Bull

"And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands" (Leviticus 4:15). One might think this means elders of the marketplace; Scripture therefore says "congregation." If "congregation," one might think even the junior members of the congregation; Scripture therefore says "the congregation" [with the definite article], meaning the distinguished ones among the congregation. And how many are they? "And they shall lay" implies two; "the elders" implies another two; and since a court may not have an even number, they add one more to them, so there are five here. These are the words of Rabbi Yehudah. Rabbi Shimon says: "the elders" implies two, and since a court may not have an even number, they add one more, so there are three here. According to Rabbi Shimon, what does he do with the written word "and they shall lay"? He needs that word for its own plain requirement [that the laying-on actually be done]. And Rabbi Yehudah holds that for its own requirement no extra word is needed, for if so, let Scripture simply have written "the elders of the congregation their hands upon the head." And Rabbi Shimon answers: had it written thus, I would have said "upon" means upon someone standing nearby. And Rabbi Yehudah derives "head" "head" by verbal analogy from the burnt-offering.