Cursed Anger, Blessed Passion

 What kind of blessing is “Cursed is their anger?”  Before his passing, our forefather Yaakov gathered his children to bless them.  The Torah tells us that he blessed them all (Bereshit 49:28):  “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them; each one, according to his blessing, he blessed them.”   Yet if we read the words he said to Shimon and Levi, it does not look like such a great blessing (Bereshit 49:5-7):   “Shimon and Levi are brothers; stolen instruments are their weapons.  Let my soul not enter their counsel; my honor, you shall not join their assembly, for in their wrath they killed a man, and with their will they hamstrung a bull.  Cursed be their wrath for it is mighty, and their anger because it is harsh. I will separate them throughout Jacob, and I will scatter them throughout Israel.” 

 

What I am about to write are my personal thoughts based on Rashi’s commentary.  But first some explanations of the terms Yaakov used.

 

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“Stolen instruments are their weapons” refers to the incident, where they wiped out the entire male population of Shechem.  The leader of the city kidnapped and raped their sister, and the people of the city did not bring him to justice or force him to return her.  The inhabitants were therefore complicit and were guilty of a capital offense, and Shimon and Levi administered the punishment.  Nevertheless the sword is not something that comes naturally to Jews, it is the way of Eisav and was considered a “stolen instrument.” 

 

“They killed a man” refers to the males of the city of Shechem, whose combined strength was considered as if they were just one man compared to Shimon and Levi, because of the righteousness of the cause and the holiness of Yaakov.  The “bull” refers to their brother Yosef – long story.  So how is this a blessing?

 

Note that Yaakov does not say “they are cursed because of their wrath.”  He says “cursed be their wrath.”  And Yaakov’s solution is to “separate them throughout Jacob, and… scatter them throughout Israel.”  Shimon and Levi were passionate people, who stood up for the protection of their sister, and took action against what they perceived as their errant brother, Yosef.  The passion itself was not the problem, it was the “wrath” – the anger they expressed that led them on the wrong path.  Our Sages taught that the real problem Yaakov had with the story of Shechem was the subterfuge – that they had the men circumcise themselves as a trick to weaken them.  And their mis-judgment of Yosef came out of anger.

 

When angry people get together this can breed violence (as we see in the streets today).  Yaakov was preparing Shimon and Levi, and their descendants, for a life of passionate contribution to our people.  Passion, when harnessed properly, creates great things.  For example the incredible work that the tribe of Levi did in the Holy Temple and as teachers and guides for the nation, and the Maccabees in the time of Chanukah.  Yaakov blessed them that they should act in a positive way by showing them that their anger is cursed and leads to mistakes.  He blessed them that they should be dispersed among the people as teachers so that they could use their passion in positive ways.

 

A lesson we can each take from this is that our natural passions are not bad.  If we find ourselves being drawn by our emotions in the wrong direction, the answer is not to shut ourselves down, but to harness our emotions and passions for good.  We do that by following the teachings of the Torah, and by making sure to consult with a spiritual mentor before we act in haste, which Shimon and Levi did not do.  Our passions can change the world, our anger can destroy it.