One of the annoying things
about believing in free will
and individual responsibility
is the difficulty
of finding somebody
to blame your problems on.
And when you do find somebody,
it's remarkable
how often
his picture turns up
on your driver's license
- P. J. O'Rourke

The resources in this article were prepared by my daughter Tehilla. Thank you, Tehilla.

These articles about Blame reflect our Biblical history in many ways. Many noteworthy people in the Bible blamed others. In each case, our ancestors handled the blame in a noteworthy (but not always acceptable) manner.

The first one to blame another was Adam. After Adam ate from the forbidden fruit, he responded to G-d's rebuke by arguing that "the woman whom you gave me, she gave me and I ate" (Genesis 3:12). By blaming his wife, Rashi says that Adam denied the greatness of G-d. This led to a second sin, כפירה בטובה - not showing appreciation for the good that was done to him.

Adam's son followed in his father's footsteps. G-d rebuked him for murdering Abel, and Cain retorted, "Am I my brother's keeper?" He intimated that the murder was not his fault.

Many years later, Joseph sent his brothers to Canaan to bring back their father. Among his guidelines for their journey home was "Do not fall out by the way" (Genesis 45:24). Joseph warned his brother not to blame each other for selling him while they were traveling. That argument could lead to fighting during a dangerous journey.

Joseph argued that what was done, was done. Blaming would not change the situation.

Several more generations elapsed, and Moses placed Aharon and Hur in charge of the Jewish nation while he went up to Heaven to receive the Torah.

The Israelites knew that Moses was to descend from Mount Sinai after 40 days, but they miscalculated. When Moses did not descend from the Mount on the day that they had expected, they believed that he had abandoned them. They searched for a different leader.

Aaron understood the nation's psychological limitations. They had killed Hur, who wouldn't cooperate with them, and there was apparently no way to reason with them in a calm manner.

Aaron decided to control them by leveraging their frenzy. He asked them to bring gold from their own homes and from the homes of their family. He then threw the gold into a fire. To his shock and horror the sorcerers in the angry crowd caused it to be turned into a golden calf.

With a noble effort at self-sacrifice, Aaron built an altar for the calf. He did not let the Israelites help him because they would have worked more quickly. Aaron also felt that his own effort would cause the job to be perceived as his sole fault. He could then accept the blame without involving the rest of the nation.

Aaron suffered greatly for his self-sacrifice. G-d wanted to kill his sons because he listened to and accepted the desire of the nation. It was only the result of Moses' intervention that caused G-d to spare two of his four children.

Several generations later, the Israelites appointed a modest and meek king, Saul, over their country. The prophet Samuel told Saul to fight and kill all of the Amalekites - men, women, children, and even animals.

Saul did indeed kill them - except for Agog, the Amalekite king. He also spared the animals. Yet, after the war, Saul told Samuel that he had fulfilled G-d's orders. Samuel asked, "And what is the sound of cattle that I hear?" Saul answered that they came from Amalek, and that the Jews had mercy on the animals and decided not to kill them.

Samuel argued that the Israelites may consider Saul to be modest, but as the head of the tribes of Israel, he has no right to blame the nation for not fulfilling G-d's commandment. Saul had to surrender his throne because he could not accept the blame.

David replaced Saul as king, and the Israelites finally benefited from a true leader.

David wanted to marry BatSheva. Her husband was at war, and David ordered him to return home. Uriya refused to return while his comrades remained in the field. David responded to his rebellion by sending him to the front, where he was killed.

G-d sent the prophet Nathan to rebuke David for his improper actions. David immediately showed true leadership by accepting the blame, without making excuses: "I have sinned against the L-rd" (II Samuel 12:13).

All of these Biblical examples are certainly intended to teach future generations that they should not blame others. Have we learned our lessons? Let's find out from the rest of this section about Blame.