Children suffering for the sins of their parents?

Hi,

A stark, intellectual view of the way the universe works:

"It is possible, without any impropriety, for chance to cause children to suffer punishment for parental sin; there is no impropriety (עוול) involved, at all. 

"If a person were to sin against the government and they would punish him justly, such that he would lose his wealth, this would cause punishment for his children, who would be paupers and would not inherit anything that they had been due to receive from their father's assets."

(Commentary of Ralbag to Yehoshua 7:1)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

One nation, One body

Hi,

Regarding Yehoshua 7, in which a man named Achan took from the consecrated property of the city of Jericho, and the entire nation suffered as a result:

"All Israel are bound together as one body, such that each individual will relate to the community as a limb of the body relates to the body. Just as illness or destruction of one limb causes illness or a defect in the entire body, so, too, when Achan took from the spoils it was considered as though the entire nation had trespassed."

(Commentary of Malbim to Yehoshua 7:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Collective responsibility

Hi,

In Joshua 7, the Jewish nation suffers military defeat, and it is blamed on the sin of an individual, Achan. Some commentators explain that collective responsibility is a natural function of the Jewish nation. For example:

"All Israel are bound together as one body, such that each individual will relate to the community as a limb of the body relates to the body. Just as illness or destruction of one limb causes illness or a defect in the entire body, so, too, when Achan took from the spoils it was considered as though the entire nation had trespassed..."

(Commentary of Malbim to Yehoshua 7:1)

"It is possible, without any impropriety, for chance to cause children to suffer punishment for parental sin; this will not involve impropriety at all. For example: If a person were to sin against the government and they would punish him justly, such that he would lose his wealth, this wwould cause punishment for his children, who would be paupers and would not inherit anything that they had been due to receive from their father's assets."

(Commentary of Ralbag to Yehoshua 7:1)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Why a flood of water?

Hi,

Shemot 6:!7 says, "And I, I will bring a mabul of water". A midrash is bothered by the language which indicates that Gd could have brought a mabul of anything, and He chose water, specifically. Why choose water?

"Gd said: They anger Me with the good I have poured upon them, and so with this I will punish them."

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 108a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tzedakah as bribe

Hi,

[Background: In the fourth chapter of the book of Daniel, Daniel interprets Nevuchadnezzar's dream to indicate that punishment is coming to him, and he advises Nevuchadnezzar to give tzedakah in order to forestall his punishment.]


"Why was Daniel punished? Because he advised Nevuchadnezzar… [to give tzedakah]"

(Talmud, Bava Batra 4a)


"Giving tzedakah to the needy cannot resolve the problem of haughtiness and arrogance, which plagued Nevuchadnezzar. Perhaps this was Daniel's sin; he did not entirely clarify his words to Nevuchadnezzar, and he planted within Nevuchadnezzar the feeling that the tzedakah he would distribute to the needy would pacify Divine wrath at his arrogance. Can one who sins with arrogance then bribe the One who neither shows favour nor accepts bribes?"

(Rabbi Yaakov Medan, Daniel: Galut v'Hitgalut pg. 101)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The punishment of the Egyptians at the Sea

Hi,

"Each of the pursuers of Israel met an unusual death, according to the way he had harmed Israel when they had lived in Egypt.

"Thus we say in the blessings of Shema, 'He drowned their pursuers and enemies in the depths.' The king's forces are termed 'pursuers' because they acted not out of hatred but out of service to the king; the rest of the Egyptians are called 'enemies'. One who was liable for his wickedness drowned, but also died under Divine supervision, with an appropriate punishment."

(R' Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin, Birkat haNetziv to Mechilta Beshalach 6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The price of rage

Hi,

"R' Mani bar Patish taught: If a person gets angry, then even if Gd had selected him for greatness, he will be removed from that great position."

(Talmud, Pesachim 66b)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Sins from before conversion?

Hi,

"R' Yosi said: Gd punishes a convert to Judaism for actions which preceded his conversion.

"R' Yehudah said: Gd does not punish him; he is like a newborn person."

(Masechet Gerim 2:6)

For thought: How is conversion different from repentance?

Have a great day,

Mordechai

The punishment for embarrassing others

Hi,

"One who whitens the face of another person [by embarrassing him] in public will not have a share in the next world."

(Talmud, Bava Metzia 58a)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Obey the law! Obey a law!

Hi,

"[A verse (Isaiah 5) states:] The depths widened, and opened her mouth to [swallow] the one without a law (literally: without limit).

"Reish Lakish explained: Even a person who omits a single law [ends up in the depths].

"Rabbi Yochanan responded: That interpretation does not please your Master! Rather, even a person who has learned a single law will not be drawn into the depths!"

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 111a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Who takes the grain?

Hi,

"Rabbi Chanina bar Papi asked: It is written (Hosheia 2), 'And I [Gd] will take My grain at its time,' and yet it is also written (Deuteronomy 32), 'And you will gather your grain!'

"He answered: The former verse refers to a time when we don't do as Gd asks [and so Gd collects the grain, not leaving any for us]. The latter verse refers to a time we do as Gd asks [and so Gd gives us the grain]."

(Talmud, Berachot 35b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A Divine will to punish

Hi,

"There seems to be a contradiction between verses-

"One verse says, 'For I do not desire the death of a condemned person (Ezekiel 18),' but another verse says, 'For Gd desires to kill them (Samuel I 2)!'

"There is no contradiction - if the condemned person repents then Gd does not wish him to be punished. If he does not repent, then Gd does wish that person punished."

(Talmud, Niddah 70b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Deep and the Hidden, Part 2 of 3

Hi,

(continued from yesterday)

"Alternatively: "He reveals deep and hidden things" – These are the deeds of the wicked, as in Isaiah 29:15, "Woe, those who dig deep, from Gd";

""Hidden" are the deeds of the wicked, as it continues, "to hide their counsel."

""He knows that which is in darkness" – The deeds of the wicked, as it continues, "Their deeds are in darkness."

""And light resides with Him" – The deeds of the righteous, as in Mishlei 4:18, "The path of the righteous is like radiant light," and Psalms 97:11, "Light is planted for the righteous, etc.""

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 1:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Loss of Divine protection

Hi,

The following is "intense", in the words of one reader...

"When a person [who has sinned] eats poisonous foods and they harm him, Gd will not provide the rescue to save him from that food. His sins caused this to happen to him, dividing between him and his Gd, and so those evils found him."

(Rabbeinu Yosef Yaavetz, Or Chaim, pg. 3)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

A deathbed declaration

Hi,

"When Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was dying, he raised his voice and cried… He explained to his students, "Am I going to greet a mortal king, such that his anger would only be in this world, his incarceration would only be in this world, and his execution would only be in this world? Further, I could appease him verbally and bribe him financially. But I am going to greet only the King of kings of kings, Gd, such that His anger is in this world and the next, and I cannot appease Him verbally or bribe Him financially. Further, I have two paths, Gan Eden and Gehennom, and I don’t know whether He will incline me to Gehennom or bring me into Gan Eden.""

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan I 25)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Asking for justice

Hi,

"One who passes judgment to Gd regarding another person will, himself, be punished [for his own sins] first."

(Talmud, Rosh HaShanah 16b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Collective Punishment

Hi,

"The Torah says, 'That which is hidden is for HaShem our Gd; that which is revealed is for us and our descendants forever [עד עולם].' Why does the Torah include dots on 'for us and our descendants' and on the ע in עד?

"It teaches that Gd did not punish [communally] for hidden sin until the Jews crossed the Jordan, per R' Yehudah.

"R' Nechemiah asked: Does Gd ever punish [communally] for hidden sin? It says, 'That which is hidden is for HaShem our Gd… forever!' Rather: Just as Gd did not punish for hidden sin, so He did not punish for public sin until the Jews crossed the Jordan."

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 43b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

What happens when we sin

Hi,

"R' Yehoshua ben Levi said: Were the nations to know that they are struck due to Israel's sins, they would appoint two officers for each Jew to make certain he kept the Torah and did not sin!"

(Midrash Tanchuma Bechukotai 2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Martyrdom, and punishment through one's descendants

Hi,

I'm really not sure what to say about this source, but it provides considerable food for thought:

"Some people sin in their lifetimes, and are punished for all of their sins only posthumously.

"For example: There was a learned person in a certain place where it was decreed that the community either adopt another religion or be killed. He told the population to adopt the other religion and then repent later. He adopted the other religion, as did they, and then the community returned to Judaism.

"Because they adopted that other religion upon his ruling, his descendants abandoned Torah, and he was punished as though he had caused all of them to sin."

(R' Yehudah haChasid, Sefer Chasidim 197)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Blame the corrupt judges

Hi,

"Rabbi Yosi ben Elisha said: If you see a generation beset by great trouble, investigate the judges of the Jews. Suffering befalls the world only because of the judges of the Jews, as it is written (Michah 3), 'Hear this, heads of the house of Jacob and officers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and distort all that is straight!...'"

(Talmud, Shabbat 139a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai