Kahane on the Parsha
Rabbi Binyamin Ze’evKahane
HY”D- 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
Shabbat Shalom!
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