Difference between revisions of "Yaakov's Parting Words to Shimon and Levi/1"

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<div><b><center><span class="highlighted-notice">This topic has not yet undergone editorial review</span></center></b></div>
 
<div><b><center><span class="highlighted-notice">This topic has not yet undergone editorial review</span></center></b></div>
 
<h2>A Harsh Address</h2>
 
<h2>A Harsh Address</h2>
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<p>Sefer Bereshit closes with what might be referred to as Yaakov's "Last Will and Testament" to his sons.&#160; The tone of most of Yaakov's speech is fairly positive, as he blesses children with rich land, luscious vines, swiftness of feet and victory in battle.&#160; Yehuda is compared to a lion, Naftali to a doe and Binyamin to a wolf devouring his prey.&#160; Asher is told that he will serve food fit for royalty and Yosef is blessed with fruit of the womb and heavenly favor.&#160;</p>
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<p>Sefer Bereshit closes with what might be referred to as Yaakov's "Last Will and Testament" to his sons.&#160; The tone of most of Yaakov's speech is fairly positive, as he blesses children with rich land, luscious vines, and victory in battle. When addressing Shimon and Levi, however, Yaakov's tone appears to shift:</p>
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<p>When Yaakov addresses Shimon and Levi, however, all this positive imagery is absent.&#160; Yaakov speaks instead of violent tempers and murder, says that he wishes to have no part in the brothers' council, and even curses their wrath. Why do Yaakov's parting words to Shimon and Levi appear so harsh? What leads to the change in tone?&#160; And perhaps most importantly, to what is Yaakov referring anyway?&#160; To which events in the lives of Shimon and Levi is he alluding?</p>
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<multilang style="overflow: auto">
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<q xml:lang="he" dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom:0;">(ה) שִׁמְעוֹן וְלֵוִי אַחִים כְּלֵי חָמָס מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶם. (ו) בְּסֹדָם אַל תָּבֹא נַפְשִׁי בִּקְהָלָם אַל תֵּחַד כְּבֹדִי כִּי בְאַפָּם הָרְגוּ אִישׁ וּבִרְצֹנָם עִקְּרוּ שׁוֹר. (ז) אָרוּר אַפָּם כִּי עָז וְעֶבְרָתָם כִּי קָשָׁתָה אֲחַלְּקֵם בְּיַעֲקֹב וַאֲפִיצֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.<br/><br/></q>
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<q xml:lang="en" style="margin-bottom:0;">(5) “Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence. (6) My soul, do not come into their council. My glory, do not be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their self-will they hamstrung cattle. (7) Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.</q>
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</multilang>Yaakov speaks of violent tempers and murder, says that he wishes to have no part in the brothers' council, and even curses their wrath. Why do Yaakov's parting words to Shimon and Levi appear so harsh? What leads to the change in tone?&#160; And perhaps most importantly, to what is Yaakov referring anyway?&#160; To which events in the lives of Shimon and Levi is he alluding?
  
 
<h2>Textual Difficulties</h2>
 
<h2>Textual Difficulties</h2>
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<li><b>"בְּסֹדָם אַל תָּבֹא נַפְשִׁי בִּקְהָלָם אַל תֵּחַד כְּבֹדִי"</b> – How should the word "תֵּחַד" be translated?&#160; Is it related to "חדוה", happiness, or to the root "יחד", to be united or come together? Regardless, to what secret and congregation is Yaakov referring?&#160; Are these two distinct things or is Yaakov simply making use of poetic parallelism and expressing the same idea twice in different words?</li>
 
<li><b>"בְּסֹדָם אַל תָּבֹא נַפְשִׁי בִּקְהָלָם אַל תֵּחַד כְּבֹדִי"</b> – How should the word "תֵּחַד" be translated?&#160; Is it related to "חדוה", happiness, or to the root "יחד", to be united or come together? Regardless, to what secret and congregation is Yaakov referring?&#160; Are these two distinct things or is Yaakov simply making use of poetic parallelism and expressing the same idea twice in different words?</li>
 
<li><b>"כִּי בְאַפָּם הָרְגוּ אִישׁ וּבִרְצֹנָם עִקְּרוּ שׁוֹר"</b> – Is Yaakov referring to a specific killing, or to a general tendency towards murder?&#160;&#160; What does he mean by saying that Shimon and Levi "hamstrung an ox"? Why is that worthy of mention?&#160; Might the word "שׁוֹר" have some secondary connotation which makes the act more significant?</li>
 
<li><b>"כִּי בְאַפָּם הָרְגוּ אִישׁ וּבִרְצֹנָם עִקְּרוּ שׁוֹר"</b> – Is Yaakov referring to a specific killing, or to a general tendency towards murder?&#160;&#160; What does he mean by saying that Shimon and Levi "hamstrung an ox"? Why is that worthy of mention?&#160; Might the word "שׁוֹר" have some secondary connotation which makes the act more significant?</li>
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<li><b>"אָרוּר אַפָּם כִּי עָז וְעֶבְרָתָם כִּי קָשָׁתָה"</b> – Is Yaakov cursing his sons for their fiery temperament? How would such a curse be compatible with the narrator's later statement, "וַיְבָרֶךְ אוֹתָם אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר כְּבִרְכָתוֹ בֵּרַךְ אֹתָם" (v. 28)&#8206;, which suggests that each of the brothers were blessed, not cursed?&#160;</li>
 
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<li><b>"אֲחַלְּקֵם בְּיַעֲקֹב וַאֲפִיצֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל"</b>&#160;– Finally, how should this promise of dispersal be viewed? Is this a punishment, a corrective, or a blessing? Does it express Yaakov's personal desires or a prophetic vision of the future?</li>
 
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
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<h2>Where is the Blessing?<br data-mce-bogus="1"></h2>
  
 
<h2>Sons or Tribes?</h2>
 
<h2>Sons or Tribes?</h2>

Version as of 13:54, 19 December 2018

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