Leviticus 25:32ויקרא כ״ה:ל״ב
As for the cities of Levi, the houses in the cities it holds: Levi shall forever have the right of redemption.
Genesis 49:7בראשית מ״ט:ז׳
Cursed be their anger so fierce,And their wrath so relentless.I will divide them in Jacob,Scatter them in Israel.
Numbers 18:20במדבר י״ח:כ׳
And יהוה said to Aaron: You shall, however, have no territorial share among them or own any portion in their midst; I am your portion and your share among the Israelites.
Bereshit Rabbah 98:5בראשית רבה צ״ח:ה׳
“Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of villainy are their heritage” (Genesis 49:5)
“Simeon and Levi are brothers” – brothers of Dina but not brothers of Joseph.
“Weapons of villainy are their heritage [mekheroteihem]” – he said to them: These weapons in your possession have been stolen by you. For whom are they fitting? It is for mekheroteihem – for Esau, who sold [makhar] the birthright.
“Let my soul not come in their company; with their assembly let my glory not be associated; for in their anger they killed men, and with their will they hamstrung oxen” (Genesis 49:6).
“Let my soul not come in their company” – when they come to take counsel in Shitim. “With their assembly let my glory not be associated” – when they assemble against Moses in the congregation of Koraḥ. “With their assembly let my glory not be associated” – but for the platform, let my name be associated, when his descendants stand on the platform, as it is stated: “These are those who stood, and their sons, [from the sons of the Kehatites:] Heiman [the singer, son of Yoel, son of Samuel]” (I Chronicles 6:18). Rabbi Huna, Rabbi Ḥanina, and Rabbi Pinḥas: The three of them said: “Son of Yitzhar, son of Kehat, son of Levi, son of Israel” (I Chronicles 6:23).
“For in their anger they killed men [ish]” – this is Ḥamor father of Shekhem. “Hamstrung [ikeru] oxen [shor]” – they undermined [akartun] the security wall [shuran] of proselytes. Rabbi Ḥunya and Rabbi Yirmeya in the name of Rabbi Aḥiya bar Abba: As it is written: “And with their will they hamstrung [ikeru] oxen” – in order to fulfill the will of your inclination, you undermined [akartem] the security wall of proselytes.
“Undermined a trough” – this is one of the matters that they emended for King Ptolemy.
“Cursed be their anger, as it is fierce, and their wrath, as it is harsh; I will divide them in Jacob, and I will disperse them in Israel” (Genesis 49:7).
“Cursed be their anger, as it is fierce” – Rabbi Ḥunya and Rabbi Azarya in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: [Jacob] increased the number of hot-tempered bohaknin among them. That is what is said regarding one who is afflicted with bohak patches, that he is hot-tempered. Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: [This is analogous] to a king who had a son, and the king foresaw that a serpent was destined to bite his son. He said: May the serpent that seeks to bite my son be cursed. So, [Jacob] came to curse them, but he cursed their anger. “Cursed be their anger, as it is fierce, and their wrath [ve’evratam], as it is harsh” – and their transgression [vaaveratam], as it is harsh.
“I will divide them [aḥalkem] in Jacob” – this is the tribe of Levi: “I am your portion [ḥelkekha] and your inheritance” (Numbers 18:20). “And I will disperse them in Israel” – this is the tribe of Simeon. That is what is said: Most of the poor were from the tribe of Simeon. Rabbi Tanḥuma said: Although we explain and say: “And the cities that you shall give from the holding of the children of Israel, [from the greater you shall increase and from the lesser you shall decrease]” (Numbers 35:8), six cities, they and their open land, all of them were from Simeon.
When they saw that he was rebuking them, they began departing to the corners. When he saw that they were departing to the corners, he began calling each and every one.
“Simeon and Levi are brothers” – brothers of Dina but not brothers of Joseph.
“Weapons of villainy are their heritage [mekheroteihem]” – he said to them: These weapons in your possession have been stolen by you. For whom are they fitting? It is for mekheroteihem – for Esau, who sold [makhar] the birthright.
“Let my soul not come in their company; with their assembly let my glory not be associated; for in their anger they killed men, and with their will they hamstrung oxen” (Genesis 49:6).
“Let my soul not come in their company” – when they come to take counsel in Shitim. “With their assembly let my glory not be associated” – when they assemble against Moses in the congregation of Koraḥ. “With their assembly let my glory not be associated” – but for the platform, let my name be associated, when his descendants stand on the platform, as it is stated: “These are those who stood, and their sons, [from the sons of the Kehatites:] Heiman [the singer, son of Yoel, son of Samuel]” (I Chronicles 6:18). Rabbi Huna, Rabbi Ḥanina, and Rabbi Pinḥas: The three of them said: “Son of Yitzhar, son of Kehat, son of Levi, son of Israel” (I Chronicles 6:23).
“For in their anger they killed men [ish]” – this is Ḥamor father of Shekhem. “Hamstrung [ikeru] oxen [shor]” – they undermined [akartun] the security wall [shuran] of proselytes. Rabbi Ḥunya and Rabbi Yirmeya in the name of Rabbi Aḥiya bar Abba: As it is written: “And with their will they hamstrung [ikeru] oxen” – in order to fulfill the will of your inclination, you undermined [akartem] the security wall of proselytes.
“Undermined a trough” – this is one of the matters that they emended for King Ptolemy.
“Cursed be their anger, as it is fierce, and their wrath, as it is harsh; I will divide them in Jacob, and I will disperse them in Israel” (Genesis 49:7).
“Cursed be their anger, as it is fierce” – Rabbi Ḥunya and Rabbi Azarya in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: [Jacob] increased the number of hot-tempered bohaknin among them. That is what is said regarding one who is afflicted with bohak patches, that he is hot-tempered. Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: [This is analogous] to a king who had a son, and the king foresaw that a serpent was destined to bite his son. He said: May the serpent that seeks to bite my son be cursed. So, [Jacob] came to curse them, but he cursed their anger. “Cursed be their anger, as it is fierce, and their wrath [ve’evratam], as it is harsh” – and their transgression [vaaveratam], as it is harsh.
“I will divide them [aḥalkem] in Jacob” – this is the tribe of Levi: “I am your portion [ḥelkekha] and your inheritance” (Numbers 18:20). “And I will disperse them in Israel” – this is the tribe of Simeon. That is what is said: Most of the poor were from the tribe of Simeon. Rabbi Tanḥuma said: Although we explain and say: “And the cities that you shall give from the holding of the children of Israel, [from the greater you shall increase and from the lesser you shall decrease]” (Numbers 35:8), six cities, they and their open land, all of them were from Simeon.
When they saw that he was rebuking them, they began departing to the corners. When he saw that they were departing to the corners, he began calling each and every one.