The story of Achan gives us a glimpse. It's a tale of transgression, communal strife, and ultimately, redemption – or at least, the possibility of it.
See, after the miraculous crossing of the Jordan and the fall of Jericho, Joshua faced a monumental task: dividing the Promised Land among the tribes of Israel. And he intended to do it by lot – a method seen as divinely guided.
But something was amiss. Something was blocking the flow of divine favor.
Joshua, endued with the holy spirit, as Ginzberg puts it in Legends of the Jews, understood that any hint of corruption could undermine the entire process. If people thought the lots were being manipulated, or that God's will wasn't being truly revealed, chaos would ensue.
That's where Achan comes in. He had secretly taken forbidden spoils from Jericho, violating the herem (the ban) placed upon the city. He coveted what was not his to take.
Joshua, sensing the disruption, knew he had to act. He felt compelled to convince Achan to confess his crime before the drawing of lots began. Imagine the pressure!
But instead of confessing right away, Achan's tribesmen, the Judeans, rallied around him. Perhaps out of misguided loyalty, or fear of the consequences for their own tribe, they turned on the other tribes, causing "fearful havoc and bloodshed." According to Legends of the Jews, this violence pushed Achan to finally admit his guilt. The weight of the communal strife, the bloodshed... it all became too much to bear.
His confession, however, came at a steep price: his life. He was stoned to death as punishment for his transgression. Yet, the story doesn't end there. Ginzberg tells us that Achan's confession, though it cost him his earthly existence, saved him from losing his share in the olam ha-ba – the world to come.
It's a stark reminder of the ancient Jewish emphasis on both earthly and spiritual consequences. Achan's story highlights the importance of honesty, communal responsibility, and the idea that even in the face of grave sin, repentance offers a path toward redemption.