Collective Punishment for Akhan's Sin/1/he
ענישה קולקטיבית על חטא עכן
הקדמה
הענשת חפים מפשע
Why are innocents sometimes punished for the sins of others?1 This question lies at the heart of the story of Akhan ביהושע ז'. The chapter describes how Akhan sins in taking from the banned, consecrated spoils of Yericho, resulting in national defeat at the Battle of Ai and the death of thirty-six soldiers. While these apparent innocents are punished, Akhan himself is originally spared. Where is Hashem's justice in this story? Why did the entire nation need to suffer for the actions of one individual? Moreover, why were dozens of innocent men killed, instead of Akhan himself being immediately punished?2
ייחוס החטא
The chapter clearly implicates Akhan as the individual who took from Yericho's spoils. The opening verse of the chapter singles him out as the culprit ("וַיִּקַּח עָכָן"), and later in the story, the casting of lots clearly identifies him alone as the thief. Nonetheless, alongside this assigning of blame, the text simultaneously attributes the crime to all of Israel:
(א) וַיִּמְעֲלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מַעַל בַּחֵרֶם וַיִּקַּח עָכָן בֶּן כַּרְמִי בֶן זַבְדִּי בֶן זֶרַח לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה מִן הַחֵרֶם וַיִּחַר אַף י"י בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
(יא) חָטָא יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגַם עָבְרוּ אֶת בְּרִיתִי אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִי אוֹתָם וְגַם לָקְחוּ מִן הַחֵרֶם וְגַם גָּנְבוּ וְגַם כִּחֲשׁוּ וְגַם שָׂמוּ בִכְלֵיהֶם.
What do these verses suggest about the culpability of the nation as a whole? Do they imply that others besides Akhan also participated in the trespassing? If so, why is Akhan alone chosen in the lottery? If not, why is Israel being held collectively responsible? Finally, is collective responsibility the norm for Biblical justice, or is the case of Akhan unique?
הילדים של עכן
The end of the narrative raises yet another potential case of punishment of innocents. In describing the stoning of Akhan, the text states:
(כד) וַיִּקַּח יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת עָכָן בֶּן זֶרַח וְאֶת הַכֶּסֶף וְאֶת הָאַדֶּרֶת וְאֶת לְשׁוֹן הַזָּהָב וְאֶת בָּנָיו וְאֶת בְּנֹתָיו וְאֶת שׁוֹרוֹ וְאֶת חֲמֹרוֹ וְאֶת צֹאנוֹ וְאֶת אׇהֳלוֹ וְאֶת כׇּל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ וְכׇל יִשְׂרָאֵל עִמּוֹ וַיַּעֲלוּ אֹתָם עֵמֶק עָכוֹר. (כה) וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ מֶה עֲכַרְתָּנוּ יַעְכׇּרְךָ י"י בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה וַיִּרְגְּמוּ אֹתוֹ כׇל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶבֶן וַיִּשְׂרְפוּ אֹתָם בָּאֵשׁ וַיִּסְקְלוּ אֹתָם בָּאֲבָנִים. (כו) וַיָּקִימוּ עָלָיו גַּל אֲבָנִים גָּדוֹל עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה וַיָּשׇׁב י"י מֵחֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ עַל כֵּן קָרָא שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא עֵמֶק עָכוֹר עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה.
Though the verses explicitly mention that Akhan's children were brought to the site of the stoning, it leaves their fate ambiguous. The verse opens in the singular "וַיִּרְגְּמוּ אֹתוֹ" implying that Akhan alone was killed, but then switches to the plural, "וַיִּשְׂרְפוּ אֹתָם... וַיִּסְקְלוּ אֹתָם", suggesting that others were included as well. If Akhan's children were in fact killed with their father, why did they deserve such a punishment? Are their deaths connected to the collective punishment of the nation, or to the different concept of "פֹּקֵד עֲוֺן אָבֹת עַל בָּנִים"?3
