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What does it mean to speak of the Jews as a single entity?
tl;dr in what sense did "the people" as a collective do/say anything?
In the Artscroll A""Z 5b1, the commentary in note 1 points out that "The Jews referred to the manna as..." and later, that "the people exclaimed." This figure of speech, that the people acted in a certain, singular way, or said something comes up often (a later note on the same page has "they should have responded..." and "they, however declined to do so..." while another speaks of "Israel's failure to understand it").
I recall learning that when the people said na'aseh vnishma at Har Sinai, it was as a unified people, but it seemed that this was a miraculous and unique event. How did "the people" say or do anything in other cases? Was there a poll taken or a consensus proven (especially if there was a consequence which affected the entire of the people, as is the case with the nature of the manna)? Was this a result of the heads of tribes, elders or a simple majority?
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