Simeon - by Fishel Mael

Jewish Commentaries Concerning Simeon

Sources derived from Rabbi Fishel Mael, "Shivtei Yisroel."

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The Birth of Simeon

Genesis 29:
33 Then she [i.e. Leah, wife of Jacob] conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.' And she called his name Simeon.

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The Rape and Rescue of Dinah , Daughter of Jacob and sisater of Simeon and Levi.

Genesis (NKJV) 34:
1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her. 3 His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman. 4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, 'Get me this young woman as a wife.'

5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Jacob held his peace until they came.

[The Bible continues and relates how Shechem and his father negotiated with the family of Jacob to unite with them. It was agreed that the people of Shechem should fist be circumcised.]

25 Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. 26 And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. 28 They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field, 29 and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses.

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, 'You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I.'

31 But they said, 'Should he treat our sister like a harlot?'

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The Blessing to Simeon and Levi

Genesis (NKJV) 49:
5 'Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.

more correctly translated as saying:

"Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are their means of livelihood."

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Simeon and Levi are often found together.

Simeon and Levi were scattered throughout the other Tribes.
Wherever there was one of the two were also to be found elements from the other.
They also overlapped in their occupations such as teaching children.
They tend to complement each other.
They were naturally rebellious but their vocations tamed this inclination.

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Various Characteristics within the Family of Jacob

Jacob had two names, Jacob (Genesis 25:26) and Israel (Genesies 32:28, 35:10). These represent different aspects of his personality.
He had two chief wives, Rachel and Leah.
Leah parallels Israel.
Rachel is linked more to Jacob.
Simeon and Levi were sons of Leah, as were Reuben, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon, and a daughter, Dinah.
The children of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
The handmaiden of Rachel was Bilhah who gave birth to Dan and Naphtali.
The handmaiden of Leah was Zilphah who gave birth to Asher and Gad.

The forefathers were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Isaac begat Esau and Jacob.
Isaac favored Esau but his wife, Rebekkah, preferred Jacob.

Esau was closer to Isaac, Jacob to Abraham.
The children of Rachel were more openly righteous.
The children of Leah were more concerned with Repentance.
The Children of Leah were closer to Esau.
Esau was "reddish" of hair (Genesis 25:25) and so was David (1-Samuel 16:12, translated sometimes as "ruddy" but meaning red-haired) from the Tribe of Judah son of Leah.
[Elsewhere however we, in Brit-Am, have found parallels between Esau and Joseph, son of Rachel.]

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Simeon, Levi, and Manasseh

Unlike the other Tribes Simeon had no preeminent quality in the revealed sense. Simeon has a concealed quality.

Simeon and Levi were known for their tools of violence and ferocity.
Levi redeemed this quality by using it for good by taking revenge from worshipper of the gold calf. [In the time of the Macabbees the Hasmonean family were from Levi and thery too redeemed the Jews from idolatry and assimilation into Hellenization].

Simeon on the other hand made matters worse by being the primary offender at the son of Shittim (translated as "Acacia Grove," Numbers ch. 25) when the Israelites took Midianite and Moabite women and committed both adultery and idolatry. The Tribe of Simeon is considered to have been the prime offender.

According to the Sages (Talmud, Baba Batra 123b) some of the Princes of Manasseh became leaders of the Tribe of Simeon (1-Chronicles 4:42-43).

1-Chronicles 4:
42 Now some of them, five hundred men of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, having as their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.

1-Chronicles 5:
23 So the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land. Their numbers increased from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir, or Mount Hermon. 24 These were the heads of their fathers' houses: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their fathers' houses..

Elements from Simeon led by Princes from Manasseh helped give raise to the Khazars many of whom later converted to Judaim and returned re-connect with Judah.

Fishel Mael quotes from "Niflaot mi Totetecah" ("Wonders from Your Torah") by Rabbi Mordecai Aronovski: The Tribe of Manasseh increased in the Wilderness whereas that of Simeon diminished.

When they first came out of Egpt the census figures were:
Numbers 1: 22 Simeon 59,500, 1:35 Manasseh 32,200.

Later they became:
Numbers 26: 14 Simeon 22,200 26:34 Manasseh 52,700.

Simeon therefore had diminished by ca. 37,300 which included the 24,000 who died because of sinning with the Midianite women (Numbers 25:9).
Manasseh increased by more than 20,000.
The souls from Simeon went to Manasseh.

Another connected between Simeon and Manasseh (son of Joseph) may have come through Dinah.
Simeon and Levi massacred the Canaanite city of Schechem because their leader, Chamor, had kidnapped and raped their sister, Dinah.
At that time in some cases according to some opinions, before the giving of the Torah, marriage between brother and sister was permitted. Simeon and Levi rescued Dinah and Simeon married her. Simeon had other wives.
A daughter was born to the previous forced union between Chamor and Dinah. This woman became the wife of Potiphera in Egypt and gave birth to Osnath who married Joseph.
In this way part of Simeon was related to the offspring of Joseph.

[At all events we, in Brit-Am, therefore find both physical and spiritual attributes of Simeon within Manasseh meaning in practical terms in North America especially the USA.]

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