The Rebbe Rayatz was once speaking to a Chassid who had recently immigrated to America. “What are your prospects for earning a living?,” asked the Rebbe.
“Well,” the Chassid replied. “I have no particular talents or knowledge of a specific trade, so I was thinking of becoming a teacher.”
With a penetrating gaze, the Rebbe replied, “Shtayner zolst du essen, uber yiddishe kinder zolst du nisht shechten.
You should better eat stones at your table before endangering the education of Jewish children.”
I’m reminded of this story by a puzzling aspect found in this week’s parshah. The Meforshim observed that when Yaakov blesses his children, he couches within his blessings words of critique. And when it comes to Shimon and Levi, who infamously destroyed the city of Shechem and caused Yaakov tremendous anguish, Yaakov says, “I will divide them and scatter them within Israel.”
The Meforshim note that Yaakov’s specific blessings to these two sons are that they not settle down, so that they do not act up again. Therefore, the tribe of Shimon was to be scribes and schoolteachers, while the tribe of Levi would depend on the maaser and gifts of others for their livelihoods. Their lifestyles would ensure that they would always be on the move and never cause trouble.
Now, this seems very problematic. Shimon and Levi are deemed too rash and careless to be left to their own devices. So instead, we entrust them with teaching our children, with becoming scribes, with serving in the Beis Hamikdash? These are the most critical roles in our society, and we’re using them as a way to punish Shimon and Levi?
But if we take a step back and analyze the character of Shimon and Levi, we see that they had a kanaus, a righteous indignation, a passionate sense of right and wrong that led them to stand up for their sister at great personal risk. Granted, they were so incensed that they acted recklessly. But it came from an absolute commitment to upholding that which is right and true.
Yaakov’s blessing to them was not a punishment, it was a redirection. He was urging them to channel their passion and commitment to go beyond the pale and to direct it to the greatest of causes, educating our children and helping others serve Hashem. It was precisely because of their fiery character that Yaakov felt that they should be the ones entrusted with the holy mission of teaching our youth.
Teaching is not only done through words, but with action, and there was no one more committed to putting these ideals into action than Shimon was. To serve Hashem in the Beis Hamikdash, one needs to be steadfast and committed. And Levi showed those very traits. In fact, we see that when it came to the sin of the golden calf, it was the tribe of Levi that answered Moshe’s call to action, to stand up against the rampant idolatry.
Shimon and Levi, therefore, are the paradigm for redirected passion. They channeled the very traits that had led them astray in the past, into sources of inspiration for the children of our future.
Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos.
