:ו. בְּסֹדָם אַל תָּבֹא נַפְשִׁי בִּקְהָלָם אַל תֵּחַד כְּבֹדִי כִּי בְאַפָּם הָרְגוּ אִישׁ וּבִרְצֹנָם עִקְּרוּ שׁוֹר
6. Let my soul not enter their counsel; my honor, you shall not join their assembly, for in their wrath they killed a man, and with their will they hamstrung a bull.
Right before Yaakov died, he gave blessings to each of his sons. However, in this passuk we see Shimon and Levi were given a blessing that would seem to be negative, and a punishment for their actions against the city of Shchem. Yaakov says "Let my soul not enter their counsel." Why does Yaakov say this? What does it mean? What is this counsel he is referring to?
Rashi has an interesting interpretation on this: that this is the future incident of Zimri
that Yaakov is referring to.
As we see, Shimon and Levi did something worthy of their father's discomfort when being addressed. What are other interpretations of these words? Why does Yaakov seem to be giving these two sons a curse? What did these two brothers do that they deserve this? Is there any positive interpretation of such an outburst? How could this be considered a blessing?
When Yaakov is on his death bed, he gives all of his sons blessings, but he gives Shimon and Levi a curse. Why would a father curse his own children? Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen says, that it has to do with when Dina was captured by the people in Shechem. All of the brothers were very upset about Dina being captured, and they wanted to her back. The brothers planned to convince all of the people in Shechem to perform circumsision, and while they are recovering, the brothers would go and get Dina. Shimon an Levi did not like this approach, and they wanted to take a more aggressive approach. Shimon and Levi felt that the people of Shechem were guilty for capturing Dina, and they wanted to destroy everyone in Shechem. Yaakov was very angry with Shimon and Levi for this plan because he felt that they would be ruining the family’s title, and he felt that they were impulsive.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Yaakov that he shoulda be angry with Shimon and Levi, but I don’t think that he had to curse them. It was good that Shimon and Levi were so aggressive, but no father should ever curse their sons.
While Yaakov was supposed to be given his sons a blessing, it seems like it was more like a curse. Why would Yaakov do that to his own sons? The Ibn Ezra says that Yaakov was upset with them because when they killed shchem, they put the whole family in danger of being attacked by other people.
ReplyDeleteI think that Yaaakov has a right to be upset with his sons for acting in this manner and putting the family in danger. However, their actions shows that they were passionate because they did do it to save Dina even if it was putting the family at risk. Yaakov is rebuking them for using their passion to save Dina , but that passion is good if it is used for the right things.
Rashi on Pasuk Zayin puts a positive connotation to Yaakov’s “curse” for Shimon and Levi. He says that Yaakov really noticed Shimon and Levi’s aggressive and active personalities, and wanted to put the to good use with the rest of the nation in Israel. Shimon and Levi being spread out amongst Israel is not a curse, rather a blessing that they get to actively go around teaching Jews all over Israel, and doing Hashem’s work. I really like this interpretation because it seems illogical that Yaakov would curse his sons.Even if it seems like a curse, it’s nice to think that it was really a blessing hidden in what seems like a curse.
ReplyDeleteרש“י: “אחלקם ביעקב“ (פסוק ו)
^Molly Glicksman
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ReplyDeleteWhen Yaakov is dying he gives all of his sons blessings, but he seems to give Shimona and Levi a curse. Why would a father want to curse his own children? Yaakov says, That “his soul should not enter their counsel” The Ohr HaChaim answers that this is referring to when Shimon and Levi planned to kill Yosef. Yaakov did not want these two sons being known as his sons after this because it was an offence to his honor. When Yosef had become lost it says the shechina in Yaakov also became lost. Yaakov referred to the brothers as killing a man even though we know he did not really kill him, rather he put yosef in a dangerous situation by putting him in the pit where he could have been killed that it shows Shimon and Levis willingness to kill a man (their brother, yosef). So basically he is saying that although they did not actually kill him, it was just as bad as if they had killed him when they threw him into the pit and exposed him to dangerous situations. Because of this willingness to kill Yosef, Yaakov did not want to be associated with Shimon or Levi.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this to some degree. Although it is beautiful that Yaakov loved Yosef so much that he put what the brothers did to him at the same degree of killing him, in truth it is not the same. The brothers did not actually kill Yosef, and I dont think that that would be a reason to curse his own sons. IN one way I agree with the Ohr HaChaim is that it is bad for his honor to be associated with them since they did something so horrible.
-Ariella Vogel