Difference between revisions of "Yaakov's Parting Words to Shimon and Levi/2"
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<p>Yaakov finds the brothers' anger and willingness to kill praiseworthy and a necessary trait for the nation, as it provokes fear in Israel's enemies. Yaakov saw that the brothers would ensure that there was always someone who could fight Israel's battles.</p> | <p>Yaakov finds the brothers' anger and willingness to kill praiseworthy and a necessary trait for the nation, as it provokes fear in Israel's enemies. Yaakov saw that the brothers would ensure that there was always someone who could fight Israel's battles.</p> | ||
<mekorot><multilink><a href="RYehudaHeChasidBereshit49-5" data-aht="source">R. Yehuda HeChasid</a><a href="RYehudaHeChasidBereshit49-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit 49:5</a><a href="R. Yehuda HeChasid" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yehuda HeChasid</a></multilink></mekorot> | <mekorot><multilink><a href="RYehudaHeChasidBereshit49-5" data-aht="source">R. Yehuda HeChasid</a><a href="RYehudaHeChasidBereshit49-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit 49:5</a><a href="R. Yehuda HeChasid" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yehuda HeChasid</a></multilink></mekorot> | ||
− | <point><b>Praise or rebuke</b> – R. Yehuda HeChasid is unique in understanding Yaakov to be praising rather than rebuking Shimon and Levi, seeing in their anger and readiness to kill a necessary and meritorious quality.<fn>Cf. Jubilees which does not speak about Yaakov's blessing to the brothers but, as it regards the zeal of the brothers in Shekhem to be praiseworthy and even says that brothers were "written for a blessing" for their act, it might be inclined to agree with R. Yehuda | + | <point><b>Praise or rebuke</b> – R. Yehuda HeChasid is unique in understanding Yaakov to be praising rather than rebuking Shimon and Levi, seeing in their anger and readiness to kill a necessary and meritorious quality.<fn>Cf. Jubilees which does not speak about Yaakov's blessing to the brothers but, as it regards the zeal of the brothers in Shekhem to be praiseworthy and even says that brothers were "written for a blessing" for their act, it might be inclined to agree with R. Yehuda HeChasid's positive reading of Yaakov's blessing.</fn></point> |
<point><b>"כְּלֵי חָמָס מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶם"</b> – R. Yehuda HeChasid raises two possible understandings of the word "מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶם". It might mean weapon, being related to the Greek word for knife, "מכיר". Alternatively,  it could refer to a "dwelling," in which case Yaakov is saying that the brothers will employ violence against their enemies in the land of their dwelling.  Either way, Yaakov is praising Shimon and Levi's readiness to fight.</point> | <point><b>"כְּלֵי חָמָס מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶם"</b> – R. Yehuda HeChasid raises two possible understandings of the word "מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶם". It might mean weapon, being related to the Greek word for knife, "מכיר". Alternatively,  it could refer to a "dwelling," in which case Yaakov is saying that the brothers will employ violence against their enemies in the land of their dwelling.  Either way, Yaakov is praising Shimon and Levi's readiness to fight.</point> | ||
<point><b>"בְּסֹדָם אַל תָּבֹא נַפְשִׁי בִּקְהָלָם אַל תֵּחַד כְּבֹדִי"</b> – According to R. Yehuda HeChasid this represents the speech of Israel's enemies (or their mercenaries) who lie in fear of Shimon and Levi and have no desire to take part in a war in which they will be present.</point> | <point><b>"בְּסֹדָם אַל תָּבֹא נַפְשִׁי בִּקְהָלָם אַל תֵּחַד כְּבֹדִי"</b> – According to R. Yehuda HeChasid this represents the speech of Israel's enemies (or their mercenaries) who lie in fear of Shimon and Levi and have no desire to take part in a war in which they will be present.</point> | ||
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<point><b>"אֲחַלְּקֵם בְּיַעֲקֹב וַאֲפִיצֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל"</b> – R. Yehuda HeChasid asserts that Yaakov is referring to the fact that all the other tribes will desire to hire Shimon and Levi to fight for them.<fn>This interpretation stands in contrast to the accepted understanding that Yaakov is referring to the brothers' inheritance in Canaan, where they will be dispersed among the tribes.</fn>    They will be divided among Israel as they spread out to fight for each tribe.<fn>R. Yehuda HeChasid attempts to bring proof from Yehuda's proposal to Shimon in Shofetim 1:3 "עֲלֵה אִתִּי בְגֹרָלִי וְנִלָּחֲמָה בַּכְּנַעֲנִי", where he asks Shimon to join him in fighting the Canaanites. The prooftext, however, is somewhat weak, since Yehuda's proposal is that each will help the other (וְהָלַכְתִּי גַם אֲנִי אִתְּךָ בְּגוֹרָלֶךָ), and not that Shimon alone will help Yehuda.</fn></point> | <point><b>"אֲחַלְּקֵם בְּיַעֲקֹב וַאֲפִיצֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל"</b> – R. Yehuda HeChasid asserts that Yaakov is referring to the fact that all the other tribes will desire to hire Shimon and Levi to fight for them.<fn>This interpretation stands in contrast to the accepted understanding that Yaakov is referring to the brothers' inheritance in Canaan, where they will be dispersed among the tribes.</fn>    They will be divided among Israel as they spread out to fight for each tribe.<fn>R. Yehuda HeChasid attempts to bring proof from Yehuda's proposal to Shimon in Shofetim 1:3 "עֲלֵה אִתִּי בְגֹרָלִי וְנִלָּחֲמָה בַּכְּנַעֲנִי", where he asks Shimon to join him in fighting the Canaanites. The prooftext, however, is somewhat weak, since Yehuda's proposal is that each will help the other (וְהָלַכְתִּי גַם אֲנִי אִתְּךָ בְּגוֹרָלֶךָ), and not that Shimon alone will help Yehuda.</fn></point> | ||
<point><b>No mention of Shekhem</b> – This approach might assume that the incident in Shekhem was one of the reasons that the brothers had the reputation that they did. If so, in Chapter 34 Yaakov had  not been upset about the extremity of the the brothers' actions, only worried about the prudence of the deed.The fact that the Torah gives the last word to the brothers there (their cry, "") might suggest that Hashem, too, had no issue with the brothers' deed, recognizing that certain crimes call for extreme reactions.</point> | <point><b>No mention of Shekhem</b> – This approach might assume that the incident in Shekhem was one of the reasons that the brothers had the reputation that they did. If so, in Chapter 34 Yaakov had  not been upset about the extremity of the the brothers' actions, only worried about the prudence of the deed.The fact that the Torah gives the last word to the brothers there (their cry, "") might suggest that Hashem, too, had no issue with the brothers' deed, recognizing that certain crimes call for extreme reactions.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>No mention of sale</b> – According to R. Yehuda | + | <point><b>No mention of sale</b> – According to R. Yehuda HeChasid, though the brothers planned to sell Yosef, they never did so as the Midianites beat them to it.  Shadal's cousin goes a step further to suggest that the brothers themselves were unaware of the sale and astonished when Reuven found the pit empty, leading them to conclude that Yosef had indeed been killed by a wild animal (as they told their father). [See <a href="Who Sold Yosef" data-aht="page">Who Sold Yosef</a> for details.]  If so, it is very likely that Yaakov never learned of the original plotting,<fn>Interestingly Shadal himself in the later printed editions of his commentary, nonetheless contends that Yaakov assumed (incorrectly) that the brothers had been directly responsible for the sale.</fn> and clear why he does not rebuke Shimon and Levi for the sale.<fn>It is also possible that R. Yehuda HeChasid was motivated to read Yaakov's words as a blessing, to fit the tone of Yaakov's speech to all the other brothers. If he was looking to read the verses in a positive  rather than a negative manner, this would exclude suggesting that the verses refer to the sale.  [However, considering that R. Yehuda HeChasid reads Yaakov's words to Reuven as chastisement, it is difficult to say that he would have been greatly bothered to read the "blessing" to Shimon and Levi, too, as rebuke.]</fn></point> |
<point><b>Motivation</b></point> | <point><b>Motivation</b></point> | ||
</opinion> | </opinion> |
Version as of 14:36, 18 December 2018
Yaakov's Parting Words to Shimon and Levi
Exegetical Approaches
Slaughter of Shekhem
Yaakov's words to Shimon and Levi reference their slaughter of Shekhem and express his anger at the deed.
- According to R. Avraham b. HaRambam and Ramban, Yaakov is saying that the brothers' origins (and, thus, the whole fabric of their lives) lie in acts of violence (as demonstrated in Shekhem).
- Ibn Ezra and Radak, in contrast, assert that Yaakov tells the brothers that their attack was unjust (חָמָס) specifically because the Shekhemites were living with them in the land (מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶם[ב]). In other words, since they had made a covenant with the Shekhemites to live together peacefully and share the land,5 their later slaughter was deceitful and wicked.6
- Past - Most of these sources read this verse as if it were written in the past tense. Yaakov makes clear that he had not been part of either the brothers' secret scheme or its execution.
- Future - R. Hirsch, in contrast, asserts that Yaakov is saying that due to the extremity of their deeds, Shimon and Levi's plots and gatherings will never represent or determine the will and honor of the nation. [R. Hirsch reads "נַפְשִׁי" and "כְּבֹדִי" to refer to the soul and honor of Israel, the nation, and not Yaakov, the individual.]
- Ox – Yaakov is referring to the oxen which were taken from Shekehem as booty and hamstrung.7
- Wall – The word "שׁוֹר" is understood as if written "שׁוּר", and means wall.8 Yaakov is speaking of the walls of the city which the brothers destroyed.9
- Leader – The word is a metaphor for a strong individual, and thus can refer to either Shekhem or Hamor, whom the brothers killed.10
- R. Avraham b. HaRambam and R. Hirsch stress that Yaakov cursed the brothers' extreme anger and violence, but not the brothers themselves.
- According to Radak and Ibn Ezra, in contrast, Yaakov's words "אָרוּר אַפָּם" constitute a prayer that Shimon and Levi's anger be diminished.11
Attempt to Kill Yosef
Yaakov's rebuke revolves around Shimon and Levi's role in the plots to kill and sell Yosef.
Angry & Violent Nature
Yaakov does not speak of any specific event, but rather about the brothers' extreme wrath and violent nature. This position subdivides regarding how it thinks Yaakov evaluates these traits:
Worthy of Censure
Yaakov views the brothers uncontrollable rage negatively, and points to it as the reason that neither Shimon nor Levi merit kingship.
Worthy of Praise
Yaakov finds the brothers' anger and willingness to kill praiseworthy and a necessary trait for the nation, as it provokes fear in Israel's enemies. Yaakov saw that the brothers would ensure that there was always someone who could fight Israel's battles.
Combination
Yaakov's words to Yosef touched on multiple events, both the past crimes of selling Yosef and slaughtering Shekhem, and the future sins of Zimri and Korach.