Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Shelach/0/en

Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Shelach

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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?

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 all the differences?

• Some suggest