Parshas Devarim- Our Parent's Sins

Sefer Devarim introduces Moshe Rabbainu’s final days. He gathers the entire nation to speak with them. He reprimands them for past sins that were committed throughout the sojourn in the desert. Highlighted are the sins of the eigel hazahav (the golden calf), and the meraglim (the spies), amongst numerous others. Rashi (1,1) explains that Moshe specifically gathered all the people. He wanted them to have the opportunity to respond. By assembling everyone, no one could later say “I could have retorted to Moshe’s mussar.”

These historic events certainly occurred. What response could anyone have attempted? Furthermore, these are the people who will ultimately enter Eretz Yisrael. The past generation have already passed away. They were punished because of the sins they committed, and didn’t merit entering the Land of Israel. Why is Moshe rebuking the children for the infractions of their parents?

At the end of Selichos (and other times) we say the prayer of viduy, confession. In it we confess our sins. We introduce this prayer with the words “anachnu v’avosainu chatanu”, “we and our parents have sinned.”

It is a basic tenant of Judaism that people are responsible for their misdeeds. We must therefore confess them. Why must we also acknowledge the sins of our parents?

The Gemara (Berachos 7a, Sanhedrin 27b) quotes contradictory pesukim. One pasuk (Shemos 34,7) indicates that children are punished for the aveiros of their parents. Another (Devarim 24,16) states they are not. The Gemara resolves this with the concept of “ochazim maaseh avoseihem b’yideihem.” If the children perpetuate the negative ways of their parents, they are punished for their forbearers sins. If not, they are exempt of those earlier aveiros.

This idea is puzzling. It is logical that a person should be responsible for the sins he or she commits. Why should a child be liable for the sins of their parents, just because they perpetuate the same negative behaviors?

In this world, it is a persons sacred duty to develop in all the correct areas. In order to improve we must first identify our strengths and weaknesses. Often, it is challenging to recognize our own lacking’s. We may even view our personal lacking’s as strongpoints. A helpful tool to assist in this process is to identify the lacking’s in those who greatly influenced our development. It is natural for the deficiencies we see in them to become our own struggles as well.

People often use this approach in order to blame others for their deficiencies. “I am the way I am because of my parents, teachers, or communities.” This is an easy way of shirking one’s personal duty. The idea they are saying is true. The problem is that they are using this truth to avoid growth. It could and should be used to identify lacking’s in themselves, to assist in their betterment.

The Gemara is telling us that when children follow the negative behavior of their parents, they are doing a double sin. They are committing personal aveiros. In addition, they are disregarding the lesson of their parent’s wrongdoing’s that could be used to improve themselves. Thus they are punished twofold.

When we say viduy, we proclaim that we are not shirking our duties and blaming our deficiencies on others. We recognize that we may have inherited certain negative behaviors from our influencers and take responsibility for those lacking’s. With this mentality we are able to grow.

Moshe Rabbeinu gathers the people for words of rebuke. He tells them that their forbearers committed these sins and they are no doubt rooted in human nature. Thus, the essential lacking’s certainly exist in them as well. Therefore, he assembles all of them. No one should be able to say these aveiros were unique to the prior generation. Moshe emphasizes that they must identify the root sins and improve themselves with this knowledge.

The dor de’ah, the holy generation who left Egypt committed sins. It would behoove us to understand them as they are part of human nature and likely exist in us as well. B’ezras Hashem, in the merit of our self-development, we should merit the arrival of mashiach tzidkeinu bimiheora biyameinu, amein!