Why Did Jacob Get Angry at Simeon and Levi for Killing Shechem?! The Daily Chizuk from Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a
The Daily Chizuk (spiritual strengthening) of our teacher, the holy Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days) – The dispute between the Rambam (Maimonides) and the Ramban (Nachmanides) regarding the killing of Shechem by Simeon and Levi after the kidnapping of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, their sister
Sunday, 6th of Iyar 5785 – The Ramban claims that the Rambam is stringent in the dispute, but ultimately he is more stringent than him. These are his holy words:A person at the age of 13 already needs to know that he must pray in a minyan (prayer quorum of ten); he must pray three prayers in a minyan from the age of 13!
Simeon and Levi, at the age of 13, went and killed an entire city, Shechem—if they take the sister, you kill the whole city!
"Because you sold me" (Genesis 45:5). Jacob wanted to handle (to solve the case with Shechem) through diplomatic means. Shechem, Chamor—it could be done through diplomatic channels; one doesn't necessarily need to kill people, an entire city. Everyone would have come to defend Shechem; it was impossible to enter into a war with Shechem, everyone would come, 24,000 would come to defend them—in the end, Jacob killed hundreds of thousands, "with my sword and with my bow" (Genesis 48:22).
So the Chasam Sofer says that this was the drasha (Torah sermon) of Simeon and Levi. From where do we learn that one must give a drasha at a Bar Mitzvah? From Simeon and Levi!
For there is a dispute between the Rambam and the Ramban on the matter. The Ramban attacks the Rambam, but in the end, he is more stringent than him. The Ramban says that they simply have the status of animals; he says their blood is considered like that of an animal. In the end, he becomes more stringent than the Rambam.
The Rambam says that what Shechem did falls under the law of gezel (theft/robbery), because a Ben Noach (Noahide) is not liable for relations with an unmarried woman. Even if he rapes her, he is not liable for an unmarried woman, but he is liable for gezel.
You stole a girl from her father; the entire city is liable for the theft. Here, bring the Sfas Emes on Parshas Vayishlach (The Rav shlit"a asks the attendant), he says that this was the drasha of Simeon and Levi. We have an entire Sfas Emes about the drasha of Simeon and Levi—that according to the Ramban, they deserve death because they are animals, they descended to the level of animals and their blood is considered like an animal's, and according to the Rambam, they have the status of gezel.
Everyone needs to study the Ramban on the Parsha (Torah portion). Simeon and Levi were right; this was their drasha in honor of the Bar Mitzvah. They wanted to save their sister, but why was it necessary to take down the whole city? Kill Shechem alone! "And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Chamor his father with deceit" (Genesis 34:13). They asked, how could such Tzaddikim (righteous ones), Tzaddik Yesod Olam (the Tzaddik who is the foundation of the world), who in the future will have gates at the entrance to Jerusalem—where one will enter through the Gate of Reuben, one through the Gate of Simeon, one through the Gate of Levi. There are gates, each according to his tribe; one cannot just enter, one doesn't enter directly. Each person will be tested to see if he is worthy of entering Jerusalem—the World to Come is not like this world where everyone enters.
So how did such Tzaddikim do this to Shechem? But in truth, Jacob should have been the first (to jump to save Dinah)! They say to him: It's not enough that you are angry at them—they saved your daughter and you don't identify with them at all? Rather, you should have been the first to go and save your daughter—"with my sword and with my bow." They took your daughter, they stole your daughter, go fight them! Enter the house of Shechem and attack them! "If one saw someone transgressing one of these laws and they did not judge him to be killed" (Rambam, Laws of Kings 9:14), whoever does not judge is killed.
The Rambam is a million times more stringent than the Ramban. True, on one hand, the Ramban is more stringent than the Rambam, but the Rambam says: it is not enough that every Ben Noach (Noahide) is obligated to kill another Ben Noach who sins; if he does not kill him, then he himself is liable for death. If you see a Ben Noach who committed a transgression—stole a child, for example—and you do not kill him, you are liable for death. So, if the people of Shechem did not kill Shechem themselves, then they are liable for death; this is the Rambam's approach. Either you kill all the people of Shechem, or they are liable for death for not killing Shechem, the people of Shechem. Shechem the son of Chamor—they need to kill him, Chamor the son of a donkey (a play on the name Chamor, which means donkey).
You see someone taking a piece of paper without permission—paper is worth less than a perutah (the smallest coin)—so he is liable for death. He needs to ask permission: "Can I take the tissue?" There is an Arab worker here now bringing things from the grocery store, his nose is dripping, he needs to say: "Do you permit me to take a paper?" If he takes it without permission, then he is liable for death, and if I don't kill him, I am liable for death. According to the Rambam, if I don't kill him, then I am liable for death—terrible things. The Ramban says, this cannot be, but in the end, the Ramban is more stringent than the Rambam.
The Rambam says, every Ben Noach who did not kill the other Ben Noach is liable for death. He might have taken a tissue without permission, drank a cup of water without permission, rather their blood is considered like water to them. The Ramban comes and actually is more stringent than the Rambam—he says they have the status of animals; people who do such deeds have the status of animals. Their blood is water; they are not human beings at all.
(After all this, why didn't Jacob kill Shechem himself, and even rebuked Simeon and Levi for doing so?!) But the Ramban says that (the people of) Shechem truly wanted to convert. He says that all of Jacob's anger (at Simeon and Levi for killing Shechem) was because they truly, truly wanted to convert, and they were already true gerim (converts), and it was forbidden to kill them.
In the merit of this, may we merit the complete Geulah (Redemption)
Speedily in our days, Amen