Shimon and Levi: The Danger of Extreme Nationalism

Hello All!

Below is dvar torah (which I wrote looking at the view from atop the Gilboa mountains) about the massacre committed by Shimon and Levi, and the lessons for today. Enjoy and share your thoughts!

In Genesis chapter 34, after Yaakov reconciles with Esav, he settles near the city of Shechem where the local prince is Hamor the Hittite. Hamor’s son, Shechem, sees Dinah, takes her and lays with her. In response, the sons of Yaakov trick Hamor and Shechem to take revenge for Dinah. They persuade the whole city to get circumcised in order to render the inhabitants weak and defenseless. Shimon and Levi attack, kill Shechem and Hamor, take their sister Dinah, and slaughter all the males of the city. The rest of Yaakov’s sons plunder the city and take the women and children as captives.

What motivated Shimon and Levi to commit this massacre? Was it a desire to avenge their sister’s honor? If, indeed, they cared deeply for Dinah, and this brotherly concern spiraled out of control, their desire for justice is understandable. But what if a different motive was at play here?

After Shimon and Levi commit the massacre, Yaakov admonishes them:

: “וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יַעֲקֹ֜ב אֶל־שִׁמְע֣וֹן וְאֶל־לֵוִי֮ עֲכַרְתֶּ֣ם אֹתִי֒ לְהַבְאִישֵׁ֙נִי֙ בְּיֹשֵׁ֣ב הָאָ֔רֶץ בַּֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י וּבַפְּרִזִּ֑י וַאֲנִי֙ מְתֵ֣י מִסְפָּ֔ר וְנֶאֶסְפ֤וּ עָלַי֙ וְהִכּ֔וּנִי וְנִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י אֲנִ֥י וּבֵיתִֽי׃

Yaakov said to Shimon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me, making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites; my fighters are few in number, so that if they unite against me and attack me, I and my house will be destroyed.” (Bereshit 34:30)

Yaakov is scared that the surrounding nations will attack him. What’s missing is any mention of Dinah. He does not acknowledge her pain and suffering. Nor does he mention the actual murder of innocent civilians. He just focuses on the repercussions they are likely to face, and the dangers they pose for the family’s safety.

Shimon and Levi respond:

וַיֹּאמְר֑וּ הַכְזוֹנָ֕ה יַעֲשֶׂ֖ה אֶת־אֲחוֹתֵֽנוּ?

“But they answered, “Should our sister be treated like a whore?” (Bereshit 34:31)

From this verse, their motivation seems to be defending their sister. While the means they chose are morally bankrupt (they killed all the males of the city who didn’t do anything to her), the desire to achieve some sort of justice is commendable. Older brothers should look out for their younger sisters.

However, if we look earlier, this was not their original motivation.

Here is their first reaction to Dinah’s being taken to the house of Shechem:

וּבְנֵ֨י יַעֲקֹ֜ב בָּ֤אוּ מִן־הַשָּׂדֶה֙ כְּשׇׁמְעָ֔ם וַיִּֽתְעַצְּבוּ֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וַיִּ֥חַר לָהֶ֖ם מְאֹ֑ד כִּֽי־נְבָלָ֞ה עָשָׂ֣ה בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לִשְׁכַּב֙ אֶת־בַּֽת־יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְכֵ֖ן לֹ֥א יֵעָשֶֽׂה׃

Meanwhile Yaakov’s sons, having heard the news, came in from the field. The men were distressed and very angry, because he had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Yaakov’s daughter—a thing not to be done (Bereshit 34:7)

Here they do not mention Dinah or the crime committed against her, rather “an outrage in Israel''- a crime against the family name. They remove the individual, and think only about the honor of the nation (here is the first time Yaakov’s family/clan is called “Yisrael”!). Additionally, when they do mention Dinah, she is “Yaakov’s daughter”- only in relation to the family.

This is totally different from what they told Yaakov after-the-fact. Avenging Dinah wasn’t what led to the massacre, rather defending the family name led to the murder of innocent people. What today would be called extreme nationalistic feelings drove Shimon and Levi to murder an entire city.

This now explains Yaakov’s criticism and why he did not mention Dinah. He is mirroring Shimon and Levi’s own nationalistic motivations, rather than mentioning actual care for Dinah. He also sees their actions as placing the honor of the family over practical considerations (perhaps he is implying “you should have killed the actual perpetrators, not the entire city”). Thinking only about the family name clouded their judgment, and as a result, the whole family was in danger.

In the past couple of years, Israel has seen a rise in nationalism, resulting–very recently– in the election of the most extreme right-wing government in Israeli history. Itamar Ben Gvir, a man convicted of Jewish terrorist acts and a student of racist “Rabbi” Meir Kahane who ran on a slogan of' “מי בעלי בית” (”who owns the place?”), will now be the Minister of Public Security. Sadly, the ancient teachings of the Torah couldn’t be more relevant, and are a dire warning for us.