Collective Punishment for Akhan's Sin/2

Collective Punishment for Akhan's Sin

Exegetical Approaches

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Nation Also Culpable

The nation was defeated during the battle of the Ai and 36 men were killed because they too had sinned and were deserving of punishment.

Sources:R. Yosef Bekhor ShorDevarim 29:28About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, Rif, Hoil MosheYehoshua 7:24About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi gg  cvd

How did they sin?

• Spiritual blunder –
• Military blunder –
• Abetted Akhan – assumes that Yehoshua had warned the people beforehand to watch over the spoils and ensure that no one took, and to report if anyone had.  The people either did not watch properly, failed to report the offender, or worse, actively helped Akhan to hide the spoils.
• Own sins – The people who died were

Natural Consequences

Ibn Kaspi

Collective Punishment

Despite the fact that only Akhan sinned, innocent people were punished as they were considered collectively responsible.

Sources:Yerushalmi SotahSotah 7:5About the Yerushalmi, R. Yehudah in Bavli SanhedrinSanhedrin 43b-44aAbout the Bavli, Tanchuma51About the Tanchuma, R. BachyaVayikra 26:37About R. Bachya b. Asher, RalbagYehoshua 7:1Yehoshua 5-8Yehoshua 7:24Yehoshua 22:18About R. Levi b. Gershom, AbarbanelYehoshua 7:4-5About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, SefornoShemot 23:21About R. Ovadyah Seforno,