Midrasch zu Jehoschua 9:27

(Deut. 29:9:) “Your tribal leaders, [your elders, and your law officers].” Although I have appointed for you heads, judges, elders, and law officers, you shall all be equal before me, since it is stated (ibid., cont.), “every person in Israel.” Another interpretation (of Deut. 29:9): All of you are responsible for each other. Even though there is [only] one righteous person among you, you all shall survive (literally, stand) through his merit; and not only you, but the whole world in toto, as stated (in Prov. 10:25), “but a righteous person is the foundation for the world.”³A more common translation would be: BUT A RIGHTEOUS PERSON IS AN EVERLASTING FOUNDATION. However, when one sins, the whole generation is stricken, and so you find in the case of Achan (in Josh. 22:20), “Was it not Achan ben Zerah who committed [embezzlement] in the proscription (i.e., the herem of Jericho)?” If with the measure of punishment which is small, the [whole] generation was seized, how much the more [will the generation prosper], with the measure of [divine] favor which is great! It is therefore stated (in Deut. 29:9), “every person in Israel”; and not only the great ones who are among us, but (according to vs. 10) “Your infants, your wives, and your alien.” It is therefore stated (in Deut. 29:9), “every person.” Now flesh and blood shows more mercy over males than over females, but the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like that. Rather (according to Ps. 145:9), “His mercy is upon all his works,” upon males and upon females, upon the righteous and upon the wicked, as stated (in Deut. 29:10, cont.), “from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water.” (Deut. 29:10, cont.), “From the one who chops your wood.” R. Isaac ben Tavlay said, “[This] teaches that, when the Gibeonites came to [Moses he did not accept them; but when they came to] Joshua, he did accept them.⁴According to Josh. 9:27, Joshua gave these menial tasks to the Gibeonites. Thus it is stated (in Josh. 9:4), ‘And they also acted with cunning.’ What is the meaning of ‘they also?’ [This] teaches that they had come to Moses, and he had not accepted them.”

Another interpretation (of Deut. 29:9 [10]): All of you are responsible for each other. Even though there is <only> one righteous person among you, you all shall survive (literally: stand) through his merit; and not only you, but the whole world in toto, as stated (in Prov. 10:25): BUT A RIGHTEOUS PERSON IS THE FOUNDATION FOR THE WORLD.⁵A more common translation would be: BUT A RIGHTEOUS PERSON IS AN EVERLASTING FOUNDATION. However, when one sins, the whole generation is stricken, and so you find in the case of Achan (in Josh. 22:20): WAS IT NOT ACHAN BEN ZERAH WHO COMMITTED [EMBEZZLEMENT] IN THE PROSCRIPTION (i.e., the herem of Jericho)? YET <DIVINE> WRATH CAME UPON THE WHOLE [CONGREGATION OF] ISRAEL, SINCE HE WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE TO DIE FOR HIS SIN. If when the measure of punishment was small, the <whole> generation was seized, how much the more <will the generation prosper>, when the measure of <divine> favor is great. It is therefore stated (in Deut. 29:9 [10]): EVERY PERSON IN ISRAEL; and not only the great ones who are among us, but (according to vs. 10 [11]) YOUR LITTLE ONES, YOUR WIVES, AND THE ALIEN. It is therefore stated (in Deut. 29:9 [10]): EVERY PERSON. Now flesh and blood shows more mercy over males than over females, but the Holy One is not like that. Rather (according to Ps. 145:9), <THE LORD IS GOOD TO ALL> AND HIS MERCY IS UPON ALL HIS WORKS, upon males and upon females, upon the righteous and upon the wicked, as stated (in Deut. 29:9 [10], cont.): FROM THE ONE WHO CHOPS YOUR WOOD TO THE ONE WHO DRAWS YOUR WATER. R. Isaac ben Tavlay said: <This> teaches that, when the Gibeonites came to [Moses he did not accept them; but when they came to] Joshua, he did accept them.⁶According to Josh. 9:27, Joshua gave these menial tasks to the Gibeonites. Thus it is stated (in Josh. 9:4): AND THEY ALSO ACTED WITH CUNNING. What is the meaning of THEY ALSO? <This> teaches that they had come to Moses, and he had not accepted them.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi interpreted the verse regarding Israel upon their entry into the land. “I increased my actions [maasai]” (Ecclesiastes 2:4) – “When you will come to the land of your dwellings.… you will perform [vaasitem] a fire offering to the Lord” (Numbers 15:2–3). “I built myself houses” (Ecclesiastes 2:4) – “houses filled with everything good” (Deuteronomy 6:11). “I planted myself vineyards” (Ecclesiastes 2:4) – “vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant” (Deuteronomy 6:11). “I made myself gardens and orchards” (Ecclesiastes 2:5) – Hadrian, may his bones be crushed, asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya: ‘It is written in the Torah: “A land in which without poverty [you will eat bread; you will not lack anything there]” (Deuteronomy 8:9). Can you bring me three things that I request?’ He said to him: ‘What are they?’ He said to him: ‘Peppers, pheasants, and silk fabrics.’ [Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya] brought him peppers from Nitzḥana, pheasants from Tzaidan, and some say from Akhberin, and silk fabric from Gush Ḥalav. “I made myself pools of water” (Ecclesiastes 2:6) – as it is written: “A land of streams of water” (Deuteronomy 8:7). “To irrigate from them a forest which grows trees” (Ecclesiastes 2:6) – even wood for the shafts of arrows was not lacking in the Land of Israel.
“I purchased myself slaves and maidservants” (Ecclesiastes 2:7) – “a mixed multitude [left with them]” (Exodus 12:38). “And I had stewards” (Ecclesiastes 2:7) – these are the Givonites, whom Joshua tasked as hewers of wood and drawers of water, as it is stated: “Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water” (Joshua 9:27). “I also had great possession of herds and flocks” (Ecclesiastes 2:7) – “[the children of Gad and the children of Reuben had a very great] multitude of livestock…” (Numbers 32:1). “I also gathered for myself silver and gold” – these are matters of Torah, as it is stated: “He took them out with silver and gold” (Psalms 105:37). “And the treasure of kings and countries” – these are the spoils of Og and the spoils of Midyan.²⁵See Numbers 21:35 and 31:9. “I acquired for myself songsters and songstresses” – male singers and women singers. “And the pleasures of people” – these are the pleasures of the children of Israel; “chests [shidda] and wagons [shiddot]” – indulgences and luxuries.

... “And David went and he took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh- gilead… And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son…” (Shmuel II 21:12-13) What did David do? He went and gathered all the elders and great ones of Israel, crossed the Jordan River, and came to Yavesh-gilead. He found the bones of Shaul and his son Yonatan, placed them in a casket and crossed back over the Jordan, as it says “And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father and they did all that the king commanded…” (Shmuel II 21:14) What does ‘in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father’ mean? It comes to teach us that they brought them to the border of Jerusalem and buried them there. Zela is next to Jerusalem, as it says “And Zelah, Eleph, and the Jebusite, which is Jerusalem…” (Yehoshua 18:28) ‘and they did all that the king commanded’ And what did the king command? He commanded that they carry Shaul’s casket from tribe to tribe. As Shaul’s casket entered each tribe’s territory all the men, women and children came out in order to perform an act of loving kindness to Shaul and his sons and thereby all of Israel would fulfill its obligation to loving kindness. This went on until they reached the land of his portion on the border of Jerusalem. Since the Holy One saw that they did loving kindness to Shaul and fulfilled the judgement of the Givonites He was immediately filled with mercy and sent rain upon the land, as it says “And God was entreated for the land after that.” (Shmuel II 21:14) From this we learn how close the Holy One brings those that are far away, even though they converted not for the sake of heaven. There is no need to even mention how he draws near righteous converts, “O Lord, all the kings of the earth will acknowledge You…” (Tehillim 138:4)

But behold it is written (Deut. 24, 26) Fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall children be put to death for the fathers? R. Chiya b. Abba said in the name of R. Jochanan: "Rather let one word of the Torah become impotent, than have the Heavenly name publicly profaned." (II Sam. 21, 10) And Rizpah the daughter of Ayah took sack cloth, and spread it out for herself upon the rock, from the beginning of the harvest until water dropped down upon them out of heaven, and she suffered neither the birds of heaven to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night. Behold it is written (Deut. 21, 23) Then shall his body not remain all night on the tree. R. Jochanan in the name of R. Simon b. Jehozadak said: "It is worth while that one letter of the Torah become impotent, if only the Heavenly name should [through it] be sanctified publicly: [for, whoever passed by the corpse] asked: 'What is the nature of these? Are they not princes, and what [crime] have they committed?' Because they had raised their hands against self-made converts (not formally admitted),' [the reasons were given.] The inquirers then would remark: 'There is no other nation that is more fitting to be associated with than this (Israel); for, if to princes they gave such punishment how much more so to an ordinary man; and if they so protect self-made converts, how much more so will they protect real Israelites (duly admitted proselytes)?' The result therefrom was that Israel was increased by one hundred and fifty thousand [proselytes], as it is said (I King 5, 29) And there belonged to Solomon seventy thousand bearers of burdens, and eighty thousand stone cutters in the mountains." But perhaps these were Israelties? You cannot possibly think so, for it is written (Ib. 9, 22) Yet of the children of Israel did Solomon make no one a servant. But perhaps the above were merely salaried employees? We must therefore say that the above is inferred from here (II Chr. 2, 16) And Solomon numbered all the gerim (proselytes) that were in the land of Israel, etc., and they were found to be one hundred and fifty thousand. And he made of them seventy thousand bearers of burdens, etc. And was then the decree against the Gibeonites issued by David? Behold! Moses issued the decree, as it is written (Deut. 29, 10) from the hewer of the wood, etc. Moses merely decreed it for that generation, but David decreed it for all generations. Again has not Joshua decreed concerning them? For it is written (Josh. 9, 27) And Joshua appointed them only that day hewers of the wood, etc. Joshua's decree was only for the period during which the Temple existed, but David's decree was issued for the period beyond the destruction of the Temple.