(33) She conceived again and bore a son, and declared, “This is because Adonai heard that I was unloved and has given me this one also”; so she named him Simeon. (34) Again she conceived and bore a son and declared, “This time my husband will become attached to me, for I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named Levi.
(יד) וְכֵיצַד מְצֻוִּין הֵן עַל הַדִּינִין. חַיָּבִין לְהוֹשִׁיב דַּיָּנִין וְשׁוֹפְטִים בְּכָל פֶּלֶךְ וּפֶלֶךְ לָדוּן בְּשֵׁשׁ מִצְוֹת אֵלּוּ. וּלְהַזְהִיר אֶת הָעָם. וּבֶן נֹחַ שֶׁעָבַר עַל אַחַת מִשֶּׁבַע מִצְוֹת אֵלּוּ יֵהָרֵג בְּסַיִף. וּמִפְּנֵי זֶה נִתְחַיְּבוּ כָּל בַּעֲלֵי שְׁכֶם הֲרִיגָה. שֶׁהֲרֵי שְׁכֶם גָּזַל וְהֵם רָאוּ וְיָדְעוּ וְלֹא דָּנוּהוּ. וּבֶן נֹחַ נֶהֱרָג בְּעֵד אֶחָד וּבְדַיָּן אֶחָד בְּלֹא הַתְרָאָה וְעַל פִּי קְרוֹבִין. אֲבָל לֹא בְּעֵדוּת אִשָּׁה. וְלֹא תָּדוּן אִשָּׁה לָהֶם:
(14) What must they do to fulfill their requirement regarding the Law of Justice? They have to set up magistrates and judges in each district to judge the people with regard to these Six Commandments; and they must issue warnings (about them) to the people. A non-Jew who violates one of the Seven Commandments is executed by means of the sword. 101This entire passage is absent in most versions.How is this so? Anyone who worships idols or blasphemed or murdered or had sexual relations with one of those forbidden to him or stole even less than the value of a Prutah or ate any amount from a limb or the flesh of a live animal or saw someone else violate one of these and failed to judge and execute him, is himself executed by means of the sword. It was for this reason all residents of the City of Shechem deserved to be executed. For Shechem kidnapped102Dinah., and they saw and knew and failed to judge him. A non-Jew is executed by the testimony of one, and with one judge, without forewarning, and by the testimony of relatives, but not by the testimony of a woman103Other editions are missing the words, “but not by the testimony”.. A woman may not judge for them.
(א) ויענו בני יעקב את שכם ואת חמור אביו במרמה הנה חמור ושכם אל אביה ואל אחיה דברו אבל הזקן לא ענה אותם דבר כי בניו ידברו במקומו בענין הזה לכבודו כי בעבור היות הדבר להם לקלון לא ירצו שיפתח פיו לדבר בו כלל ויש כאן שאלה שהדבר נראה כי ברצון אביה ובעצתו ענו כי לפניו היו והוא היודע מענם כי במרמה ידברו ואם כן למה כעס ועוד שלא יתכן שיהיה רצונו להשיא בתו לכנעני אשר טמא אותה והנה כל האחים ענו המענה הזה במרמה ושמעון ולוי לבדם עשו המעשה והאב ארר אפם להם לבדם והתשובה כי המרמה היתה באמרם להמול להם כל זכר כי חשבו שלא יעשו כן בני העיר ואם אולי ישמעו לנשיאם ויהיו כלם נמולים יבואו ביום השלישי בהיותם כואבים ויקחו את בתם מבית שכם וזאת עצת כל האחים וברשות אביהם ושמעון ולוי רצו להנקם מהם והרגו כל אנשי העיר ויתכן שהיה הכעס ליעקב שארר אפם על שהרגו אנשי העיר אשר לא חטאו לו והראוי להם שיהרגו שכם לבדו וזהו מה שאמר הכתוב ויענו בני יעקב את שכם ואת חמור אביו במרמה וידברו אשר טמא את דינה אחותם כי כולם הסכימו לדבר לו במרמה בעבור הנבלה שעשה להם ורבים ישאלו ואיך עשו בני יעקב הצדיקים המעשה הזה לשפוך דם נקי והרב השיב בספר שופטים (רמב"ם הלכות מלכים פי"ד ה"ט) ואמר שבני נח מצווים על הדינים והוא להושיב דיינין בכל פלך ופלך לדון בשש מצות שלהן ובן נח שעבר על אחת מהן הוא נהרג בסייף ראה אחד שעבר על אחת מהן ולא דנוהו להרגו הרי זה הרואה יהרג בסייף ומפני זה נתחייבו כל בעלי שכם הריגה שהרי שכם גזל והם ראו וידעו ולא דנוהו ואין דברים הללו נכונים בעיני שאם כן היה יעקב אבינו חייב להיות קודם וזוכה במיתתם...
(1) And the sons of Yaakov answered Shekhem and his father Chamor with guile: Behold, Chamor and Shekhem spoke to her father and her brothers, but her father did not answer them anything, as his sons spoke in his place about this matter out of respect for him. Since the thing was a disgrace for them, they didn't want that he should open his mouth to speak about it at all. And there is a question here, as [it] appears that they answered with the agreement of the their father and with his counsel, as they were in front of him and he knew that their answer was spoken with guile. And if so, why did he get angry [with Shimon and Levi]? And also, it is not plausible that his will would be to marry his daughter to the Canaanite that defiled her. And behold, all of the brothers answered with guile, [even if] Shimon and Levi did the deed and [yet] the father only cursed their anger. And the answer is that the guile was in telling them to circumcise all their males, since they thought that the people of the city would not do this. And if maybe they would listen to their prince and they would all be circumcised, they would come on the third day when they were hurting and they would take their daughter from the house of Shekhem. And this was the counsel of all of the brothers and it was with the permission of their father. And Shimon and Levi wanted to take revenge upon them and killed all of the men of the city. And it is plausible that Yaakov's anger that cursed them was because they killed the men of the city that had not sinned against him. And what was appropriate for them was that they would kill Shekhem only. And this is what the verse states, "And the sons of Yaakov answered Shekhem and his father Chamor with guile, and they spoke since he defiled Dinah, their sister" - since they all agreed to speak with guile because of the villainy that he did to them. And many will ask, "And how is it that the righteous sons of Yaakov did this act to spill innocent blood?" And the teacher (Rambam) answered in the Book of Judges (Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 9:14) and said that the Children of Noach (gentiles) are commanded about laws (dinim), and that is that they set up judges in each and every town to judge about their six commandments. And a gentile who transgresses one of them is killed by the sword. [Likewise] if one sees someone who transgresses one of them and [that a court] did not judge him to kill him, behold, this observer should kill him with the sword. And because of this, all the men of Shekhem were liable for [the] death [penalty]. As behold, Shekhem had [kidnapped] and they all saw and knew [it] and did not judge him (and since they did not enforce civil law, their punishment was death). And these words are not correct in my eyes. As, if so, Yaakov, our father, was obligated to be prior and merit [to be the instrument] in their deaths...
ומי מספקא ליה והתניא איסי בן יהודה אומר חמש מקראות בתורה אין להן הכרע...ארור
The Gemara is surprised at this explanation: And was Yosef of Hutzal really uncertain how to punctuate this verse? But wasn’t it taught in a baraita that Isi ben Yehuda says: There are five verses in the Torah whose meaning cannot be decided, i.e., it is unclear from the text how the verses should be read...The fourth case is the term: “Arur” (Genesis 49:7). This verse can be read: “Cursed [arur] be their anger for it was fierce, and their wrath for it was cruel,” on account of Levi and Simeon’s treatment of Shechem. Alternatively, this term, which appears at the beginning of the verse, can be read as the last word of the previous verse: “And in their anger they cut off cursed [arur] oxen” (Genesis 49:6–7). According to this interpretation, “cursed oxen” is referring to the oxen of Shechem, who descended from the accursed Canaan.
(1) בסדם אל תבא נפשי O MY SOUL, COME NOT THOU INTO THEIR SECRET DELIBERATION (סוד may have the sense of plot) — this has reference to the story of Zimri, (Numbers 25:6-15) when the tribe of Simeon assembled and brought the Midianitish woman before Moses, saying, “Is this woman forbidden or permitted to be taken as a wife? If you say she is forbidden, who made the daughter of Jethro permissible to you in marriage” (See Sanhedrin 82b) — let not my name be mentioned in connection with that event! Indeed, it is said (Numbers 25:14) “Zimri, the son of Zalu, a prince of a father’s house among the Simeonites” — but Scripture does not state “a son of Jacob”.
(ה) שִׁמְע֥וֹן וְלֵוִ֖י אַחִ֑ים כְּלֵ֥י חָמָ֖ס מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶֽם׃
(5) Simeon and Levi are a pair; Their weapons are tools of violence.
(יא) וַתִּשָּׁחֵ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ לִפְנֵ֣י הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ חָמָֽס׃ (יב) וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְהִנֵּ֣ה נִשְׁחָ֑תָה כִּֽי־הִשְׁחִ֧ית כָּל־בָּשָׂ֛ר אֶת־דַּרְכּ֖וֹ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ס) (יג) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֜ים לְנֹ֗חַ קֵ֤ץ כָּל־בָּשָׂר֙ בָּ֣א לְפָנַ֔י כִּֽי־מָלְאָ֥ה הָאָ֛רֶץ חָמָ֖ס מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם וְהִנְנִ֥י מַשְׁחִיתָ֖ם אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
(11) The earth became corrupt before God; the earth was filled with violence. (12) When God saw how corrupt the earth was, for all flesh had corrupted its ways on earth, (13) God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with lawlessness because of them: I am about to destroy them with the earth.