Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Shelach/0/en

Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Shelach

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Contradictory Accounts

There are several episodes in Tanakh which are told both in one of the first four Chumashim and then recounted by Moshe in Devarim.  Often these accounts differ on key points, and in some case even appear to contradict each other. What is the reader to make of the variations? 

• Compare the stories of the spies as narrated in both Parashat Shelach and Parashat Devarim. What differences do you note?  Which are the most troubling? How might you explain them?
• Some commentators suggest that Moshe, at times, purposefully recasts past events when telling them to the nation in the fortieth year in order to best get across his departing messages. What do you think is Moshe's main agenda in retelling the story of the spies to the new generation?  How might that account for the changes?
• Others suggest that the two books simply tell the same story from different perspectives. Thus, in our case, R. Medan suggests that the spies had a dual mission, both a military reconnaissance mission as well as a surveying mission to determine tribal inheritances.  While Devarim focuses on the former, Bemidbar highlights the latter.  How might this approach explain the discrepancies between the accounts? 
• Which of the above approaches do you prefer?  How might they be applied to other stories?  For details see The Story of the Spies in Bemidbar and Devarim.  For other examples of varying accounts, see Appointing Moshe's Assistants and Decalogue Differences.

Sins of the Fathers

When praying for the nation after the sin of the spies, Moshe mentions the attributes of Hashem, including that He is "פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים".  The verse appears to suggest that, at least in certain circumstances, Hashem allows innocent children to be punished while their sinful parents go free.

• How does such punishment manifest Divine justice?  Moreover, why would Moshe mention such an attribute as part of a plea for forgiveness?  Is there any way to read the verse as an attestation of Hashem's mercy?
• When, if ever, is collective punishment justified?  Can the same reasoning apply to vicarious punishment?  Does the fact that the verse speaks of inter-familial punishment make a difference?
• For extensive discussion of the issue, see Are Children Punished for Parents' Sins?