Why kill the young male children in Bamidbar 31:17?

Question

In the pesukim before, Moshe was angry that they didn't kill all of the females because they were the ones that caused the Bnei Yisrael to sin, so why did he start off by telling them to kill the young male children? Also, why were the females who didn't sin also sentenced to die? (This second question is based on Rashi's understanding that they were to kill any female fit to live with a male, even if they didn't actually)

Answer 1

The Kli Yakar (thanks @Y DJ) gives two commentaries on this. In order to understand it, my answer will start with the second, and at the end I will add some useful and I believe connected ideas:

The second commentary given by the Kli Yakar implies that there was some sort of reason that it was Moshe's ruling and decision (with agreement according to Hashem's will) that the young males should be executed*. This answer is just a glimpse into Hashem's vast thoughts and plan, and not an exploration of the halachot of war in depth. We cannot know the deep and far reaching reasons why Hashem would will this grave thing, but we are also not immature that we would dare to therefore conclude that it must mean that Hashem or even Moshe are less righteous than us, or wrong, chas veshalom.

Theodicy is not the question, even though it is a good question and dealt with at length on this site.

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The first answer he gives implies, Moshe didn't initially command the Jews to fulfil this**, i.e. slay the young males, he just commanded it for the women. When the Jews didn't kill all the women, Moshe got angry at them, and then commanded them to slay the male children, and the rest of the females (above a certain age).

You ask:

• Why now include the young males?
• Why all the females, even the one's who didn't sin?

Implied by your second question:

• Why did Moshe get angry?

This Kli Yakar answers all these questions.

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Answer

The Kli Yakar informs us that he was doing this in order to alleviate them from suspicion: the suspicion that the reason they didn't kill all the females was because they had perhaps spared the one's they sinned with... or perhaps wanted to marry them, which would explain why they were not to spare any, and why Moshe was angry.

So, he saved them from that suspicion by instead making it look like they were merely coming back to inquire about what to do with the women and children - which they are indeed supposed to do - so then he told them to proceed with slaying the young males, as well as all the females above a certain age (i.e. the age of being able to sin with the Jews). If not; if he had just reiterated the command to kill all the females, it could have looked like they ignored him the first time, because of their yeitzer hara and lack of teshuva, chas veshalom, and it would never be possible for them to clear their names from that suspicion.

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To understand this, I suggest we need to know two extra details:

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Moshe was the role model leader of the Jewish people

Much of the commentary on Moshe given throughout Tanach emphasises how good a leader he was in every way. One of the most important traits - a trait in every real leader of the Jewish people - was that he would do the job of ensuring the relationship between the Jewish people and Hashem, by represending and defending them. He would do so to mesirat nefesh, and this devotion is also a theme in what's happening in this situation: caring about even alleviating the suspicions of the Jewish people looking bad, in all circumstances.

Still, why is Israel "looking bad" so important?

The Satan accuses us and that's how Hashem's mercy can turn to judgement

Moshe was taught how to appeal to Hashem when he went up the mountain. Moshe was taught to understand how to pray to Hashem properly for the Jewish people, and for this He had to learn how one has a relationship with Hashem. Hashem taught him that He loves us as children and therefore doesn't see wrong in us, to the point of being very lenient and forgiving with us as default. However, when we do certain things, the "satan" has the ability to make an argument to Hashem's gevura, His judgement, and this can withhold Hashem's feelings of mercy towards us and produce moral indignation and anger towards us, lo aleinu, and harsher decrees, chas veshalom.

As we said, the default is mercy, and He is very merciful with our sins, and doesn't allow the satan to even speak. However, Hashem informs us that the satan is permitted to speak under certain circumstances. For example, it is brought in the Chafetz Chaim that when we speak Lashon Hara about each other, the satan, midda knegged midda, can speak negatively about us, bringing up all our other sins, which Hashem otherwise treats very mercifully, in the Heavenly Court directly appealing to Hashem's gevura, chas veshalom. Even worse is lack of ahava, and even sina, chas veshalom (see Derech Mitzvotecha on these mitzvot for the grave consequences of this in Hashem's relationship with us).

In this case too***, and this is the tl;dr, Moshe was very much concerned about not allowing the satan to accuse us of not having done teshuva for the terrible sins with the Midianite women. Even the suspicion of that, itself, was a huge problem for Benei Yisrael and their relationship with Hashem. So he acted as a devoted leader and defended the people as Hashem taught him how, on the mountain.

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^{* He quotes the Gemara in Berachot 40a's terminology, implying that this is a halachic ruling by Moshe, which is what Hashem appointed him to do, trusting he would do so according to Hashem's will to the best of his ability.
** Perhaps a recurrent theme: Jews failing to completely fulfil commandments pertaining to wiping out their enemies.
*** Why do I think this? The Kli Yakar explains that the reason Moshe only said "immediately" by the young males is connected to the gemara (see first *) where Rava bar Shmuel rules לית דין צריך בשש - this is a matter that does not require waiting. This case in particular, and the language of this ruling, imply (as Tosfot there is explained by Yedei Moshe on Devarim Rabbah 2:10:2) the concept of the Satan accusing us at mealtime: שלא יהיה שטן מקטרג בסעודתו - i.e. we should bring salt to the table, and wash without hefsek, to be guaranted the satan doesn't accuse us}