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Why did Yaakov curse Shimon and Levi's anger rather than their act at Shechem? Rashi (רש"י) reveals they weren't condemned for killing—the act was justified—but for doing it with vindictiveness. The shiur develops a fundamental distinction: a Jew must perform even legitimate acts with compassion and care, while non-Jews are judged solely on the correctness of their actions.
The shiur analyzes the pasuk "ki b'apam hargu ish" (Bereishis 49:6), exploring Yaakov's criticism of Shimon and Levi after the incident at Shechem. Rabbi Zweig presents two possible readings of the verse: either "because they were angry, they committed murder" (the act itself was wrong due to their anger), or "they killed with anger" (the act was justified, but they did it with vindictiveness). The question is whether Yaakov was condemning the murder or only the manner in which it was executed. Rashi (רש"י) provides the key insight through his comment on "arur apam"—Yaakov cursed only their anger, not them personally, and not what they did. This reveals that the killing of the people of Shechem was completely justified according to halacha (הלכה) (whether following the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s or Ramban (רמב"ן)'s understanding), but what was wrong was the emotional state—the anger and vindictiveness—with which Shimon and Levi carried out this judgment. This teaches a fundamental principle: even when a Jew does something that is one hundred percent right and justified, he must do it in a compassionate way, without anger or vindictiveness.
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Bereishis 49:6 (Parshas Vayechi)
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