ZEKHUT AVOT

ZEKHUT AVOT (Heb. "Merit of the Fathers"), the doctrine that progeny benefit from the righteousness of their forebears. The exact nature of this concept is a question of great complexity. Some of the references to it would indicate that it is a form of reward granted to the ancestors or an expression of divine love for them; others seem to regard it as a benefit emanating from the superabundance of the ancestors' merit, with little regard for the deserts of the offspring; and yet other sources tend to view it as a spiritual gift to the progeny, who, in turn, must be spiritually qualified to receive it. -The Patriarchs The idea of merit of the fathers is often mentioned in the Bible and rabbinic literature in relation to the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and in some sources, to the Matriarchs and other biblical heroes as well. There are many instances in the Bible of Israel's being favored, not because of its own merits, but because of those of the Patriarchs, e.g., "And because He loved your fathers, He chose their offspring after them; He Himself… led you out of Egypt" (Deut. 4:37). Similarly, the memory or deeds of the righteous forefathers are often invoked in prayers for the forgiveness or welfare of their descendants, for instance, Moses' supplication after the sin of the golden calf, "Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…" (Ex. 32:13), and Solomon's plea, "Remember the good deeds of David Thy servant" (II Chron. 6:42). This practice has been a part of Jewish prayer throughout the ages. The daily and holiday prayer books contain numerous appeals based on the righteousness of the Patriarchs. Prominent among them is the evocation of the heroic sacrifice of Isaac, especially in the liturgy of Rosh Ha-Shanah. Rabbinic literature contains many statements to the effect that the merit of ancestors affects the welfare of their descendants. Thus it is held that because Judah saved Tamar from burning, his descendants Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were saved from the fiery furnace (Sot. 10b). Similarly,   Aaron had descendants who deserved to die, but were spared because of his merit (Yoma 87a). Even within the period of the Patriarchs, it is maintained, the principle of merit of the fathers was operative. The prayer of Isaac to be blessed with children was considered more efficacious than that of his wife Rebekah, because he was not only a righteous man himself but also the son of a righteous man, while his wife Rebekah, although saintly herself, was the daughter of a wicked man (Yev. 64a). -Other Righteous Ancestors In the rabbinic view, the doctrine of the merit of the fathers relates not only to the Patriarchs and other biblical heroes but also to each man's righteous ancestors. Thus, in the view of R. Akiva, "The father transfers to his son beauty, strength, wealth, wisdom, and length of years" (Eduy. 2:9). Others limit R. Akiva's view, holding that these bounties accrue to the son only as long as he is a minor; thereafter, he attains them only as a result of his own goodness (Tosef. Eduy. 1:14). In another application of the principle the rabbis interpret I Chronicles 7:40, "all these were the children of Asher, heads of the fathers' houses, choice and mighty men of valour, chief of the princes…," as indicating that only those who were descendants of an unblemished ancestry were permitted to serve in David's army, so that "their merit and the merit of their ancestors would sustain them" (Kid. 76b). Still another example is the declaration of R. Gamaliel, "Let all men who labor (as leaders) with a community, labor for the sake of Heaven, for the merit of their fathers sustains them" (Avot 2:2). It is related that R. Eleazar b. Azariah was selected as head of the academy over other candidates of equal qualifications, because as a descendant of Ezra, he enjoyed the merit of the fathers. -Qualifications of Efficacy Despite these and other examples which emphasize the power of ancestral merit, according to many rabbinical sources, merit of the fathers is not effective in all instances. Thus, the wicked king Manasseh is excluded from the world to come, even though his father was the pious Hezekiah, for "a son imputes merit to a father, whereas a father does not impute merit to a son, as it is written 'None can deliver from my hand' (Deut. 32:39)" (Sanh. 104a). Similarly, "R. Kahana taught, let not a man say for the sake of my righteous brother or father I shall be saved, for Abraham could not save his son Ishmael, nor Jacob save his brother Esau… as it is written, 'no man can by any means redeem his brother'(Ps. 49:8)" (Yal. Ps. 46). Thus ancestral merit alone, unaccompanied by the good deeds of the descendants, cannot be relied on, at least not for salvation of the soul, this being primarily a matter of personal attainment (cf. commentary of Torah Temimah to Deut. 32:39). This accords with the well-known statement of Hillel, "If I am not for myself, who is for me" (Avot 1:14), which in another source goes on to read, "If I have not gained merit for myself in my own lifetime, who will gain it for me?" (ARN1 1:27). Elsewhere (Sot. 10b) the Talmud relates that David interceded on behalf of Absalom and that through this prayer Absalom was raised from Gehenna to Paradise. Some medieval commentators explained this story as implying that it is not the good deeds of the father that save the son but the prayer that accompanies them (Sot. ibid.); in the case of David it was not so much his merit as his prayer that succeeded. -Termination of Patriarchal Merit There is a statement in the Talmud (Shab. 55a; Lev. R. 36:6) to the effect that the merit of the Patriarchs has come to an end, though the exact date of its cessation is a matter of dispute. This being so, the rabbis conclude, Israel can rely exclusively on God's unending mercies (ibid.). Some commentators of this talmudic passage pointed out the difference between the covenant and the merits of the patriarchs: even though the merit of the fathers may have come to an end, the covenant with the fathers has not, for it is eternally binding; and the liturgical evocations of the fathers refer essentially to the everlasting covenant with them. -Guilt of Ancestors Related to the notion of imputed merit is the concept of inherited guilt. The source for this is the verse in the Ten Commandments… "Visiting the guilt of the fathers upon the children upon the third and fourth generation of those who reject Me; and showing mercy to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments" (Ex. 20:5, 6). Elsewhere in the Bible the opposite doctrine is expressed: that guilt is individual and does not pass from one generation to another. "Parents shall not be put to death for children, nor children be put to death for parents; a person shall be put to death for his own crime" (Deut. 24:16). The contradiction between these two verses is resolved by the talmudic sages who suggest (Ber. 7a; Sanh. 27b) that descendants suffer for the sins of their forebears only when they themselves perpetuate the same evil deeds (see Targum Onkelos and commentary of Rashi, Ex. 20:5). This view is even more sharply stated by other rabbis who reject the view of inherited guilt, declaring (Mak. 24a) that Moses' decree "visiting the guilt of the father upon the children" was abrogated by Ezekiel's statement "the soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezek. 18:4); according to one 18th-century commentator (Maharsha, Mak. ibid.), this implies that even when the sons perpetuate the parental sins, they suffer only their own guilt, not that of their parents. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: R.T. Herford, Pharisaism (1912), 213–4, 276–81; S. Levy, Original Virtue (1907), 1–42; A. Marmorstein, The Doctrine of Merits in Old Rabbinic Literature (19682); S. Schechter, Some Aspects of Rabbinic Theology (1909), ch. 12; A.I. Kook, Iggerot ha-Re'ayah, 1 (1962), 319–22. (Joshua H. Shmidman)