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Why does Yaakov call Shimon and Levi murderers when they executed Shechem, a rapist, and his city for failing to bring him to justice? The shiur develops a fundamental yesod: it's not enough to do the right act—one must do it with the right intentions. Even when the deed is halachically correct, performing it with vengeance or self-serving motives corrupts the person and constitutes a spiritual crime.
Rabbi Zweig opens with Yosef reporting his brothers' misdeeds to Yaakov and asks: what are the parameters for reporting someone's wrongdoing? Is it sufficient that the act is wrong and you're telling someone who can help? The shiur develops that proper intent is equally crucial to proper action. The shiur presents several interconnected questions from Vayeishev and preceding parshios. First: Why was Yaakov afraid of killing Esav when someone coming to kill you creates an obligation to kill him preemptively? Second: How could Yaakov call Shimon and Levi "murderers" for killing Shechem and his city, when the Rambam (רמב"ם) writes explicitly that their actions were justified—Shechem was a rapist (Dinah was below the age of consent), and the townspeople violated the Noahide obligation to bring criminals to justice, making them all liable for capital punishment? This contradiction was so troubling that when the Septuagint was translated for King Ptolemy, the sages changed "they killed a man" to "they killed an animal" to avoid the appearance that the Jewish patriarchs were murderers—yet this doesn't answer the fundamental question for us.
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Parshas Vayeishev (Bereishis 37), Parshas Vayishlach
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