The aggadita describing the near death of David Hamelech (and his rescue) as an extension and ramification of the maase by Nov and the death of the Cohanim tells of David being given a choice of bearing personal responsibility (and being killed) or a deferral to his descendants.
(a) How can this choice be given? Don't we have an open possuk that the sins of the father are NOT visited on the son? Even with the caveat that such sins ARE visited upon the son should there be a failure of the children to do teshuva, what happens to the free will of David's descendants in this case?
(b) Further, does this imply that the Tzaddik David did not do (or could not do) complete teshuva for his part in this maase?
Please comment.
Rob Shorr, Ph.D., D.I.C.
Edison, NJ
(a) Often find that a person's children are punished for his sins, as we find with regard to the children of Eli (Shmuel 1 3:12), Yorav'am (Melachim 1 14:10) etc. In fact, the Pasuk says (Shemos 20:5 etc.) that Hash-m does punish children because of their fathers.
The Gemara in Sanhedrin 27b explains that the children are punished for the sins of their fathers, but only if they follow in the evil ways of their fathers. For this reason, the Gemara tells us (Rosh Hashanah 18a) that Abaye and Rabah lived 40 and 60 years respectively, despite their ancestral connections to the sons of Eli.
(b) Sometimes Teshuvah alone cannot be Mechaper without physical punishment (Yoma 85b).
M. Kornfeld
From where do you learn that the children of Eli were punished for their father's sin? The Navi gives the distinct impression that they were punished for "lying with married women," which the Gemara explains to mean that they did not bring birthing mothers Kinim in a timely manner, leading those women to live with their husbands when they were still forbidden. Thus it would appear that Bnei Eli were punished for their own sin.
Carl M. Sherer
You are quite correct. What I meant to say was that the children of the Benei Eli were punished because of their parents' sins. (See Rosh Hashanah 18a; Rashi Eruvin 25b DH mi'Mula'i etc.).
M. Kornfeld