The Secret of Yaakov Avinu's Intention in Shechem and the Uprooting of the Lust for Money

Lesson No. 282 | Motzaei Shabbos Kodesh Parashas Vayeshev, the eve of 27 Kislev 5761 - Melaveh Malkah in the Yeshiva - Part 1

Yaakov Avinu aspired to bring all the inhabitants of Shechem to teshuvah (repentance), and therefore he was so angry with Shimon and Levi for killing them. Yaakov's way of drawing them close was by extracting them from the lust for money, which is the most dangerous lust. In order to merit the light of the Torah, a person must utterly hate money.

The Obligation to Bring the World to Teshuvah (Repentance)

We say in the prayer:

"For to You every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear... and they will all accept the yoke of Your Kingship."

Why do we say these verses? To remind us that any generation that does not bring the world to teshuvah (repentance), it is as if they themselves caused them to sin. Just as anyone in whose days the Holy Temple is not rebuilt, it is as if it was destroyed in his days, so too, at any moment the Holy Temple can be built, and at any moment the entire world can be brought to teshuvah (repentance).

When we read in Parashas Vayishlach about the deed of Shimon and Levi in Shechem, a great wonder arises: Why was Yaakov Avinu so angry with them? What was the cause of this wrath, to the point that amidst his blessings, he curses their anger with forceful curses?

"Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel; I will divide them in Yaakov, and scatter them in Israel" (Bereishis 49:7).

Yaakov says to them: "I will not forgive you for what you did. You will not have an inheritance in the Land; you will be scattered and will go from house to house collecting alms, just as you caused me this terrible sorrow." What happened here? After all, only the people of Shechem were killed, so why the terrible anger?

Yaakov's Cry: "You Have Troubled Me"

The Ramban explains that Yaakov Avinu cried out to them: "You have troubled me! You destroyed everything I wanted. All my hopes for the Geulah (Redemption), all my aspiration to convert the entire world and bring everyone to teshuvah (repentance) – destroyed in one fell swoop. Now it is ruined forever, and there is no tikkun (rectification) for this until King Mashiach comes."

This is exactly the goal of the "Shuvu Banim" Yeshiva. The goal is not to provoke the nations or to fight, but rather to learn Torah, to pray with intention, and to travel from Dan to Beersheba in order to bring the people of Israel to teshuvah (repentance). Whoever does not understand this goal does not understand what he came into the world for, and he has no right to set foot in this place. The strength of the Jew is not in the physical heroism of winning wars, but in humility and lowliness. Through the power of this submission, he can draw the entire world to Hashem, may He be blessed.

The Dispute Between the Rambam and the Ramban Regarding the People of Shechem

The Rambam in the Laws of Kings explains that the people of Shechem were liable to be killed because a Noahide is commanded to establish courts of justice. Since Shechem kidnapped Dinah, and they saw this but did not judge him, they were all liable to the death penalty, because any non-Jew who sees a severe transgression is obligated to immediately execute judgment.

However, the Ramban strongly disagrees with this. He asks: If this is the halachah (Jewish law), Yaakov Avinu should have been the first to rise up and judge them to death! Why was he afraid of them? And why is he angry at his sons who performed a mitzvah and trusted in God who saved them?

Rather, the Ramban explains, the anger stemmed from the fact that Yaakov constantly expected the people of Shechem to do teshuvah (repentance). They did not commit a crime that justified their annihilation, and on the contrary – they were already about to do teshuvah (repentance) and had agreed to circumcise themselves.

Yaakov's Tikkun (Rectification): Uprooting the Lust for Money

The Sages say regarding the verse "And he encamped before the city," that Yaakov "instituted a coin for them." Rebbe Nachman (Likutey Moharan, Torah 23) explains the depth of this: Yaakov extracted them from the lust for money.

When a person gets married, he is liable to fall into an endless lust for money. Suddenly he thinks: "Now I will be a millionaire, I will open factories, I will do business." When I got engaged, I was a young man and I thought I would learn for one year in kollel and then go out to work. I asked my Mashgiach (spiritual supervisor), Rabbi Dov Yaffe zt"l, how long I should learn. He answered me firmly:

"For less than ten years – do not dare leave the Gemara! You should not even have a thought about it. Eat bread and water, but do not leave your learning."

He explained to me that whoever leaves early and goes to become an askan (community activist), in the end, nothing true comes of him.

The Danger of Honor in the Lust for Money

The lust for money is the worst of all desires. With any other desire, a person feels ashamed; it degrades him. But with money, it is exactly the opposite—the more millions you have, the more people glorify and praise you. Therefore, Reb Noson of Breslov says that with the lust for money, "we are struck doubly." Not only is the person immersed in desire, but society actually gives him honor for it, and he boasts about it to his friends who envy him.

The first step in drawing close to the tzaddik is to hate money. One must hate money with a deadly hatred, with the absolute utmost hatred. If you allow thoughts of getting rich to settle in your mind for even a single moment—you are lost. There are tzaddikim, such as Reb Nachum, the son of holy ones, or Reb Shlomo Wexler, who never wanted to see the shape of a coin in their entire lives, understanding that it is the greatest barrier to spirituality.

The Power of a Shining Countenance

Yaakov Avinu arrived in Shechem and succeeded in extracting them from this terrible desire. "And he encamped before the city" (Vayichan et pnei ha'ir)—through his shining countenance, which radiated like the beauty of Adam HaRishon before the sin, he brought about true peace.

Anyone who merely saw Yaakov's face, even the most distant gentiles, immediately returned in teshuvah (repentance). This is the true aspiration of a Jew: to break free from the desires of this world, to shine the light of emunah (faith), and to return the entire world to its Creator.

Part 1 of 2 — Lesson No. 282

Next Part ←

All parts: Part 1 (current) | Part 2