Philosophy:Collective Punishment/2
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Collective Punishment
Exegetical Approaches
Only the Sinners are Punished
Hashem only punishes the deserving and does not collectively punish anyone for someone else's crime.
Divine justice? This position is motivated by the understanding that justice demands that each person be punished for their own crime and not that of another.
Individual providence? This approach must maintain that Hashem watches over every being individually, and knows each of their actions so He can reward and punish each according to their deeds.
Biblical Cases of Collective Punishment – This approach tries to explain away all the cases in Tanakh where there seems to be collective punishment:
- The flood – These sources assert that the entire world was destroyed in the flood because, with the exception of Noach, everyone, animals included, had sinned.1
- Sedom – Rashi points out that the verse specifies that "כָּל הָעָם מִקָּצֶה" surrounded Lot's house, proving that there was not even one righteous man amongst them.2 R"Y Bekhor Shor asserts that had there been, Hashem would have saved them individually; Avraham's request was based on erroneous understanding of hashem's plan.3 For a fuller discussion of Avraham's plea to save sedom see Avraham's Prayer for Sedom.
- Plague of first-borns – Rashi explains that even the firstborns of maidservants and captives were killed because they, too, had enslaved the Israelites and were happy in their sorrow.
- Sin of golden calf – According to Rashi, drawing off Bavli Yoma 66, Hashem plagued only those who were guilty or worshiping the calf but who had escaped punishment by the Levites on technical grounds that they had not been warned beforehand.
- Sin of Spies – R"Y Bekhor Shor explains that only those of age to enter the military were punished because they were the ones who complained, being afraid to fight the Canaanites.
Sin of golden calf and spies
Ir Nidachat
Achan and death of the 37
Plague in time of David
What about babies?
Slightly Guilty also Punished
When Hashem inflicts punishment, those who are totally innocent are never included. However, individuals who are guilty by association, or culpable to even a small degree, might be included in the punishment of a worse sinner.
Sources:Bavli Shabbat, Radak, Rif on Yehoshua, Abarbanel on Korach
Even the Innocent Punished
Sometimes Hashem collectively punishes the entire group and the innocent suffer together with the guilty.
Sources:R. Saadia Gaon, Ralbag, Abarbanel, Malbim, Netziv
Why is this justified?
Individual providence?
Majority vs. minority of sinners?
Collective salvation?
Can humans also collectively punish?