When Joshua and the Israelites conquered Jericho, Joshua warned his men that every object in the city of Jericho had the status of cherem, which meant that it should either be destroyed or dedicated to God. But Joshua 7 recounts that one man, Achan, took some of these things for himself. According to the Book of Joshua, God was furious at this disobedience and, as a consequence, caused the Israelites to lose their next battle, at the city of Ai. When Joshua asks about the defeat, God proclaims that until the cherem is rooted out from Israel, and the thief punished, God will not be with Israel in battle.
Ultimately, Achan confesses to the theft, at which point he is severely punished. The Book of Joshua recounts: “Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan son of Zerah — and the silver, the mantle, and the wedge of gold — his sons and daughters, and his ox, his donkey, and his flock, and his tent, and all his belongings, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, ‘What calamity you have brought upon us! God will bring calamity upon you this day.’ And all Israel pelted him with stones. They put them to the fire and stoned them” (Joshua 7:24–25).
A literal reading of the story suggests that not only Achan, the thief, is put to death, but so are his children. For the rabbis, that is deeply morally problematic. How could a God who is just demand that children be killed for the sins of their fathers? And more broadly, how could all of Israel be punished by defeat in battle for the sins of one man? The Talmud’s first attempt to solve this conundrum is to find a reason for the execution of Achan’s wife and children:
In the case of Achan, what is the reason they were punished? Because his wife and children knew about it.
The Talmud explains that Achan’s family members were complicit in his crime. Because they knew about the theft, that it countermanded God’s command, and chose to stay silent, they were also punished.
Rav Huna, however, offers a different interpretation of the scene in the Valley of Achor:
If Achan sinned, did all of Israel also sin? As it is written (Joshua 7:24): “And all Israel with him.” Rather, (Joshua took them out) to chastise them. So too (with Achan’s family) — to chastise them.
Rather elliptically, Rav Huna reads Joshua 7:24 as saying that Joshua took all of Israel with Achan to the Valley of Achor not to kill them all, but in order to chastise them — to teach them the consequences of sin by making them observe, and even participate in, the stoning of Achan. So too, Rav Huna concludes, Achan’s sons and daughters were required to come along — not to be killed for a sin they didn’t commit, but to bear witness to their father’s execution and learn what happens when one disobeys God’s direct command. Their silence in the face of their father’s sin was wrong, and therefore they were required to participate in the justice system. But, reading against the most likely literal meaning of the text, Rav Huna insists that only the most guilty party, Achan himself, was put to death for the theft of the cherem.
Ultimately, the Talmud’s discussion distinguishes between the one who actually does the crime, those that are complicit by staying silent when they realize that something wrong is happening, and those who had nothing to do with it as individuals (“all Israel”). While only the one who directly disobeys God is punished with death, others are not insulated from witnessing that punishment. Everyone in some way has to experience the consequence of a capital crime.
Read all of Sanhedrin 44 on Sefaria.
This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on January 30, 2025. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.
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