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January 12, 2001/Tevet 17, 5761, Vol. 53, No.15
Jacob warns against religious fanaticism
Torah Study
RABBI ERIC H. YOFFIE
Vay'chi/Genesis 47:28-50:26
In Parshat Vay'chi, the patriarch Jacob is dying. He summons his 12 sons to give each one a final blessing and to urge them to follow God's will.
In his blessings, Jacob praises his sons for what they have done right and rebukes them for what they have done wrong. Of particular interest is his message to Simeon and Levi.
Many years before, when Jacob and his family had been living in Shechem, Jacob's daughter, Dinah, had been kidnapped and sexually attacked by a local prince. Simeon and Levi had decided to avenge their sister and, in doing so, had killed not only the one responsible but also every male inhabitant of the town. In addition, the brothers seized their animals and took their women as captives.
At the time, Jacob did not utter a word of condemnation. Now, on his deathbed, Jacob expresses his revulsion at what had happened then: "Simeon and Levi are a pair. Their weapons are tools of lawlessness. ... Cursed be their anger so fierce and their wrath so relentless." (Genesis 49:5, 7)
At the time of the slaughter, Simeon and Levi had tried to justify their actions: They had to uphold the honor of their sister, they said, as well as that of the people of Israel. They claimed they had been obligated to act, and what they did was called for by the circumstances surrounding the crime.
But Jacob chooses his words carefully and, in doing so, dismisses their claim: "For when angry they slay men, and when pleased they maim oxen." (Genesis 49:6)
In other words, Simeon and Levi were not responding to the requirements of justice or to God's will: What motivated them was their anger. They killed because it pleased them to kill, even if that meant many innocent people had to die.
Religious fanatics, like Simeon and Levi, always offer a seemingly moral rationale for their crimes. But the true source of their behavior is their anger, frustration, and uncontrolled passion. So what we hear from Jacob is a warning, perhaps the first in human history, about the danger of religious fanaticism.
And what is their punishment? Jacob declares: "I will divide them in Jacob, scatter them in Israel." (Genesis 49:7) The other sons receive a specific portion of land to call their own, but the descendants of Simeon and Levi are to be scattered among the other tribes.
Why? Because it would be too dangerous for their children to be concentrated in one geographic area. Quick to anger, their passions would surely overcome them, and they would become a radicalizing force in the Land of Israel.
The commentators note that this solution did not banish religious passion from Israel. Although passion can be constructive, if it is not restrained and becomes zealotry, it will be destructive.
Jacob's solution is, therefore, a perfect one: Divide the children of Simeon and Levi among the other tribes. In this way, their passions will be kept under control by the restraining influence of those who surround them.
And what is the lesson for our day? We can and should be passionate for Judaism. However, we must heed Jacob's warning not to allow our Judaism to be overpowered by extreme sentiments or radicalizing emotions.
Ours must be a Judaism of deep commitment, but also progressive and open. Our passion must be on behalf of a vision of Judaism that gives us some of the answers but not all of the answers - in short, a thinking, moral, reasoned Judaism.
Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie is the president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Torat Hayim, produced by the UAHC, is on the Internet at www.uahc.org/growth.
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