Reminders and Collective Responsibility

G-d says that they must vow not to practice idolatry since they may feel tempted to after living in Egypt and having seen other nations do so. Whether they were idols of wood and stone which they kept out in public as they did not fear that anyone would steal them, or of gold and silver which they kept hidden away for fear that these would be stolen.

Moshe now warns that if there is someone among them who practices idolatry or makes or adds evil, who upon hearing G-d’s vow to them, thinks to himself that he can still have peace even if continues to do what he wants and disregard G-d’s Will, such a person will not be forgiven by G-d. Rather G-d’s anger will cause his body to flame up and have fumes come out of his nose and will be subject to all of the curses mentioned earlier and G-d will delete his name from the world.

And in the future, their progeny as well as future converts will see the plagues in the land and diseases and liken it to the downfall of Sodom, Gemorrah, Admah and Zeboiim which G-d upended out of His anger. And this later generation will understand that this is an expression of G-d’s anger for abandoning their covenant with Him by serving other gods that G-d did not designate for them. And out of anger G-d threw them out from the Land.

These punishments that Moshe warns will be inflicted upon the entire nation is only for the sin of a few.

Rashi comments upon how this teaches that the entire nation is responsible for the sins of even a few people. However this only became so after they crossed the Jordan River after having accepted the oath at Mount Gerizin and Mount Ebal where they accepted this collective responsibility.

Get full access to Sarede’s Substack at sarede.substack.com/subscribe