{"id":51511,"date":"2019-03-17T23:17:48","date_gmt":"2019-03-17T21:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=51511"},"modified":"2022-10-09T15:13:02","modified_gmt":"2022-10-09T12:13:02","slug":"reward-and-punishment-responsibility-and-blame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/reward-and-punishment-responsibility-and-blame\/","title":{"rendered":"Reward And Punishment, Responsibility And Blame"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[615,383,531,400],"acf":{"old_id":"51511","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":48616,"related_cahpter":"177","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Different messages for different times","content":"

Chapter 24 is a compilation of many laws from different areas of life. But there is one verse that really stands out, not a law but a statement: \u201cParents shall not be put to death for children, nor children be put to death for parents: a person shall be put to death only for his own crime.\u201d Seemingly, an obvious statement: of course, each person is responsible for their own actions. Why state it at all?<\/span><\/p>\n

The fact is that this is not the only approach in the Tanakh. Two schools of thought are in conflict regarding the question: What is God\u2019s reward and retribution system?<\/span><\/p>\n

One school of thought believes that God punishes or rewards the same people who did the crime or the good deed, and no one else. This idea is presented here, as well as in other texts, such as Ezekiel 18:4. The other school of thought believes that punishment for a crime or reward for a good deed can be transferred to the next generation, or to the person\u2019s surroundings. This idea is presented in a very famous verse in Ezekiel 18:2: \u201cParents eat sour grapes and their children\u2019s teeth are blunted\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Surprisingly, this is also the belief that appears in the Ten Commandments! In Exodus 20:5-6 we read \u201c For I […] am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject me.\u201d Even the destruction of the First Temple is seen mainly as a result of one king’s bad actions (II Kings 24:3)!<\/span><\/p>\n

So how does God manage the world? I think that more than these texts teach us about God\u2019s punishment and reward system, they teach us about the spiritual and psychological conditions of the people of the time they were written. None of these systems can work all the time. It is important for the leaders to be attuned to their subjects and react to their needs. <\/span><\/p>\n

During the destruction of the Temple, it would have not helped to say \u201cthis is all your fault!\u201d The generation of the destruction needed comfort and a belief that God is still with them. And so the destruction was blamed on someone else – so the people of Judah would not lose hope. <\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, the rules in our chapter are aimed at the individual, and they were probably written during the time of King Josiah, a prosperous time for the kingdom of Judah. At that time the people needed to hear that they are responsible for their own actions. <\/span><\/p>\n

We all need sometimes to be reminded that our fate is in our own hands. But we all also need sometimes to blame Mom and Dad, or our surroundings. It is a delicate and healthy balance, and the authors of the Tanakh seem to understand its importance. <\/span><\/p>\n

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