Rabbi Binyamin Kahane- Parshat VaYechi
THE SHECHEM MASSACRE
Jacob's curse of Shimon and Levi in our parsha raises the
perennial question: Were they correct in wiping out Shechem's male population
or not?
One who reads Parshat VaYechi can easily reach the conclusion
that the question is answered by Jacob when he says, "Cursed be their
anger for it is fierce..." (Genesis 49:7). These words refer to the
massacre of Shechem, and they certainly seem to put the deed in a negative
light. Indeed, this is how many love to interpret Jacob's curse, condemning
Shimon and Levi for their actions in Shechem.
But numerous observations challenge this simplistic
understanding. First, whoever reads Parshat VaYishlach will notice that the
Torah concludes the story with Shimon and Levi having the upper hand. For in
response to Jacob's argument- "You have brought trouble on me to make
odious among the inhabitants of the land"- Shimon and Levi promptly answer,
"Shall he make of our sister a harlot?" And thus the story ends,
without a peep from Jacob, with the brothers clearly putting the matter to
rest.
More than that, pay attention to the argument of Jacob. He does
not censure them for MORAL reasons. He does not criticize them for wiping out
an entire city unjustly. NO! This is NOT his argument. His is a PRACTICAL one-
that all the surrounding nations will attack him now.
And if the reader is not yet convinced, know what it says in the
Midrash (Bamidbar Rabba 2:7) - that on the flag of Shimon was nothing other
than an illustration of the city of Shechem! Now ask yourself: Would Shimon
place an illustration of something on his flag that recalled a sin? Clearly,
then, the act of Shimon and Levi was proper.
And the fact is, none of the Jewish commentators condemn the
act. The Rambam, for one, explains that Shimon and Levi were justified because
the people of Shechem did not put Shechem ben Chamor on trial for raping Dina,
making them liable to death under the 7 Noahide laws. The Maharal disagrees,
arguing that one can't expect a people to put their prince, whom they fear, on
trial. He therefore suggests that the Children of Israel behaved as is
customary in all wars, exacting collective punishment.
If Shimon and Levi acted properly, though, why does Jacob curse
them in Parshat VaYechi?
The answer lies in their motive. Jacob realized that their
impulse in wiping out Shechem wasn't entirely pure. When did Jacob conclude
this? When it became clear that the major culprits in the selling of Joseph
were the very same Shimon and Levi, as the Rabbis tell us (Tanchuma, VaYechi
9).
In other words, the brothers' plot to kill Joseph- headed by
Shimon and Levi- shed light on their actions in Shechem. It indicated that
their deed was not purely l'sheim shamayim but, rather, stemmed in part from
anger. And so Jacob cursed "their anger for it is fierce." Jacob did
not curse THEM, but rather their ANGER.
Interestingly enough, we find that the tribe of Levi took
Jacob's curse to heart and improved itself. The tribe continued acting
zealously- it was the Levites who slew their brethren for the sin of the Golden
Calf and it was Pinchas who stood up for G-d's honor by killing Zimri- but the
motivation was now purely l'sheim shamayim. Levi's zealotry was no longer
tainted by anger.
The tribe of Shimon, in contrast, never succeeded in purifying
itself. Whom did Pinchas kill? Zimri, from the tribe of Shimon- a Jewish leader
who brazenly and impetuously committed the same type of sin for which his
ancestor once wiped out an entire city.
Darka Shel Torah, 1992
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