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Why did the brothers negotiate with Shechem if they were furious? The shiur explains that fury stems from being put down, not just from loss. The brothers' demand for circumcision was wisdom—a litmus test to see if Shechem would acknowledge respect, offering genuine resolution instead of mere revenge.
The shiur analyzes the story of Dinah's abduction in Parshas Vayishlach, focusing on the brothers' psychological response and the wisdom of their strategy. The Ramban (רמב"ן) asks several difficulties: if the brothers' plan was trickery (mirmah) to kill the people of Shechem, why didn't Yaakov know about it? How could Yaakov have agreed to the marriage? And why were only Shimon and Levi singled out for punishment if all the brothers participated in the deception? The Ramban resolves this by explaining that the original plan was merely to weaken Shechem through circumcision in order to retrieve Dinah, not to destroy the city. Shimon and Levi acted unilaterally in wiping out Shechem. However, Rashi (רש"י)'s approach presents a problem: Rashi says the brothers answered "b'chochma" (with wisdom), not mere trickery, and adds that there was no improper trickery because "asher timeh es Dinah achosam"—they had defiled their sister. What is the connection between the wisdom and the defilement?
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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.
Bereishis 34 (Parshas Vayishlach)
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