Study Sanhedrin folio 44A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
what is the reason that in the case of Achan they were punished? The Talmud answers: Achan’s offense was not a hidden matter because his wife and children knew about it, and they did not protest.
§ When God explained to Joshua the reason for the Jewish people’s defeat at the city of Ai, He said: “Israel has sinned” (Joshua 7:11). R' Abba bar Zavda says: From here it may be inferred that even when the Jewish people have sinned, they are still called “Israel.” R' Abba says: This is in accorda
The verse in Joshua continues: “They have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them, and they have also taken of the dedicated property, and also stolen, and also dissembled, and also put it among their own goods.” R' Ile’a says in the name of R' Yehuda bar Masparta: This teaches that Ac
And R' Ile’a says further in the name of R' Yehuda bar Masparta: Achan, in addition to his other evil actions, would stretch his remaining foreskin in order to conceal the fact that he was circumcised. An allusion to this offense is found in the wording of this verse. Here, with regard to Achan, i
The Talmud asks: Isn’t it obvious that he concealed his circumcision, as R' Ile’a said that he transgressed all 5 books of the Torah? The Talmud answers: Lest you say that while Achan transgressed all 5 books of the Torah, with regard to a mitzva relating to his own body, such as circumcision, he d