Today, we’re focusing on a curious absence: Why does Levi get a blessing ("And of Levi he said"), but not Shimon?
The Sifrei Devarim, an early halakhic midrash on the Book of Deuteronomy, digs into this very question. It all comes down to a matter of debts, spiritual debts, that is.
The Sifrei paints a picture using a parable: Imagine two people who borrow money from a king. One repays their debt, but then borrows again. The other? They not only fail to repay their initial loan, but they take out another one! Which one is in deeper trouble?
This parable perfectly illustrates the relationship between the tribes of Shimon and Levi, and their actions throughout the Torah. According to the Sifrei, both tribes initially "borrowed" together in the story of Shechem (Genesis 34:25). Remember that harrowing tale? Shimon and Levi, angered by the violation of their sister Dinah, took matters into their own hands. They violently attacked the city of Shechem, killing all the men. The text tells us, "And there took, two sons of Jacob, Shimon and Levi, each man his sword, and came upon the city secure, (in that the men were ailing from the circumcision), and they killed every male." A brutal act, indeed.
So, both tribes started with this shared "debt." But here's where their paths diverge.
Levi, the Sifrei argues, actually repaid his debt, at least partially, during the incident of the Golden Calf (Exodus 32:26). When Moses called out, "Whoever is for the L-rd, (let him come) to me!" it was the sons of Levi who rallied to his side, taking a stand against idolatry. This act of loyalty, of righteous zeal, is seen as a repayment of their earlier transgression. Atonement, of sorts. According to this midrash, this demonstrates that Levi paid back what he borrowed in the desert.
But the story doesn't end there for Levi. The Sifrei then points to the episode of Shittim (Numbers 25:11), where Pinchas (a Levite) acts decisively to stop the Israelites from intermarrying and worshipping foreign gods. The text says, "Pinchas the son of Elazar the son of Aaron the Cohein turned My wrath away from the children of Israel when he raged My rage in their midst, and I did not consume the children of Israel in My wrath." This act, too, is seen as a righteous one, but according to the Sifrei, this is a second "borrowing".
What about Shimon? Sadly, the Sifrei suggests that Shimon never made that repayment. Worse, the tribe "borrowed" again in the story of Zimri (Numbers 25:14). Zimri, a prince of the tribe of Shimon, brazenly flaunted his relationship with a Midianite woman, defying God’s law. The Sifrei emphasizes: "And the name of the man of Israel who was smitten, who was smitten together with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father's house in the house of Shimon."
So, according to this midrashic reading, Levi, despite some further "borrowing," at least attempted to atone for the sin at Shechem. Shimon, however, doubled down on the initial transgression.
This interpretation in Sifrei Devarim offers a powerful lens through which to view the blessings and curses bestowed upon the tribes. It's not just about singular actions, but about the long-term trajectory of a people. Do they strive to repair their mistakes, or do they continue down a path of transgression? It's a question that resonates far beyond the ancient tribes of Israel, doesn't it? It challenges us to examine our own actions, our own debts, and the kind of legacy we are building.