The Dispute Between Our Father Jacob and Shimon and Levi Regarding the Release

The Daily Chizuk – Why didn't Jacob kill the people of Shechem himself?

Thursday, 1st of Iyar, 5784

Shimon and Levi killed all of Shechem. The Rambam (Maimonides) asks: Why didn't Jacob release Dinah? After all, Jacob had already fought against 10 cities; they came from Tapuach to fight him, they came from Hebron, they came from Bethlehem.

"And they journeyed, and the terror of G-d was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob" (Genesis 35:5). "The terror of G-d," because they came from all the cities, saying, "What, Jacob, you kill an entire city? What, will the residents of the surrounding cities remain silent?"

Shimon and Levi entered Shechem and slaughtered an entire city; it was obvious that they would come against him from all the cities—they would come from Hebron, they would come from Qalqilya—what is this, killing an entire city?

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And indeed, they came from all the cities to fight, and Jacob fought them all. So suddenly he can't fight against Shechem? What is this? What, is he afraid of someone?

Rather, Jacob said, "No! I want to release Dinah slowly, without killing people, to handle this through diplomatic channels. Maybe Biden will intervene, maybe Erdogan will intervene." Every week someone else comes from the White House, from Washington, saying, "Calm down, stop killing people."

The question: Why didn't Jacob kill the people of Shechem himself?

The Rambam asks: Why didn't Jacob kill them? And not only that, he even shouts at Shimon and Levi, cursing them: "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" (Genesis 49:7).

Such curses! Jacob, why do you curse like that? Shimon and Levi were actually good boys; they killed everyone because they wanted to save their sister.

Jacob said: No. [As a result] Levi has no inheritance at all, and Shimon received an inheritance only in the deserts.

The Rambam asks: Jacob, why didn't you save Dinah? She is your daughter! "Many will ask" (the language of the Rambam):

1. How could Shimon and Levi, such righteous children, kill an entire city? This is the first kusha (difficult question).

Second kusha: Why didn't Jacob kill Shechem himself? Dinah is your daughter! Instead of Jacob meriting this mitzvah (commandment)—which is the greatest mitzvah in the world to release a sister, the greatest mitzvah to release hostages from captivity—but the one who should have released her was Jacob. Let Jacob release his daughter; he should be the first to release his daughter.

This means that the brothers followed the approach of the Rambam, because the Rambam says that one does not wait; if someone's daughter is kidnapped, she is released immediately—one does not delay. But Jacob said, "We will bring Biden, we will bring Erdogan." Dinah was a girl of 7 or 8 years old—because of that, one must kill an entire city? There is no such thing; it is not proportional.

We read the Rambam; Shimon and Levi followed the Rambam, they didn't know any "tricks" (diplomatic maneuvers). Because according to the Rambam, the people of Shechem violated the prohibition against theft (one of the Noahide laws).

But the Ramban (Nachmanides) is even more stringent than the Rambam. He says: Why did Shimon and Levi kill Shechem? Because they said, "The people of Shechem are just animals." Anyone who commits such an act of abomination, such a "nevalah" (vile deed)—he is an animal, he is not a human being.

If a person can commit such a vile act, he does not have the status of a human being. The Ramban says, "Their blood is considered like water."