He was born in Haran on 28 Tevet in the year 2193. According to the Torah, the name he received was connected with the words his mother Leah spoke after giving birth: “G-d has heard (שָׁמַע — shama), and He has given me this son.” (Bereishit 29:33)
Later, the family moved from Haran to the land of Canaan and encamped near the city of Shechem.
At the end of the year 2206, tragedy struck: the son of the king of Shechem abducted Dinah, the seven-year-old daughter of Yaakov, who had come to the city with her mother for a women’s festival. After violating the girl, he came with his father to Yaakov’s camp to ask for Dinah’s hand in marriage. Following Shimon’s advice, the brothers craftily replied: “We cannot give our sister to an uncircumcised man—for that would be a disgrace to us! Only if every male among you undergoes circumcision will we be able to give our daughters to you; we will settle among you and become one people.”
On the third day after all the men of Shechem had circumcised themselves at the command of their king, thirteen-year-old Shimon and his younger brother Levi carried out their plan, leaving not a single man alive.
When Yaakov, who believed that only the king’s son—the perpetrator of the assault—should have been killed, bitterly rebuked his two sons, saying: “You have brought disaster upon me, making me hated by the inhabitants of the land…”, Shimon and Levi replied without compromise: “Is anyone permitted to treat our sister like a harlot? Let people gossip not about how uncircumcised idolaters defiled the daughter of Yaakov, but about how uncircumcised idolaters were slaughtered because of the daughter of Yaakov!” (Bereishit 34:30–31; Targum Jonathan, Bereishit 34:31; Sefer haYashar, Vayishlach; Ramban, Bereishit 34:13)
When Shimon came to the palace of Shechem’s heir to retrieve his sister, she was in despair, fearing that no one would want to marry a dishonored woman. Shimon then showed great compassion and swore that he would marry her; thereafter, he could not go back on his oath. (Bereishit Rabbah 80:11, Etz Yosef)
His second wife was the young Buna, who had been among the women and girls captured in Shechem. (Sefer haYashar, Vayishlach)
In time, Shimon had five sons by Dinah: Yemuel, Yamin, Ohad, Yachin, and Tzochar, as well as a son by Buna—Shaul (Bereishit 46:10; Sefer haYashar, Vayeshev; Seder haDorot).
Some say that Shaul, too, was Dinah’s son. (Bereishit Rabbah 80:11; Rashi, Bereishit 46:10).
Shimon also played a crucial role in the judgment against Yosef, whom the brothers suspected of seeking to seize unlawful control over the entire family of Yaakov. This judgment took place near Shechem in the year 2216, and it was Shimon who demanded that Yosef be put to death. (Bereishit 37:19—20, Targum Jonathan; Sefer haYashar, Vayeshev; Rashi, Bereishit 42:24) When the brothers decided to throw Yosef into a deep pit rather than kill him with their own hands, it was Shimon who pushed him down. (Bereishit 37:24; Bereishit Rabbah 84:16, 91:6; Rashi, Bereishit 42:24)
The Sages emphasize that Shimon and the other brothers acted solely for the sake of Heaven, fearing that Yosef’s “informing” would exclude them from their father’s spiritual legacy and prevent them from becoming the forefathers of the people of Israel. (Michtav me-Eliyahu 5, p. 136). In addition, the brothers preserved a prophetic tradition that in the future the Jewish people would unite around kings from the house of Judah, not from the house of Yosef. They therefore judged him as a rebel rising against the legitimate king of Israel. (Shelah, Tzon Yosef; Mimaamakim, Bereishit 32)
When Midianite merchants passing by drew Yosef out of the pit, Shimon stopped them and demanded that they return the captive so that the death sentence could be carried out. But the merchants persuaded the brothers to sell Yosef to them, and at Judah’s insistence, supported by the other brothers, the transaction took place against Shimon’s will. Thus G-d’s plan was fulfilled, for He did not want Yaakov’s sons to kill their brother. (Bereishit 37:28; Sefer haYashar, Vayeshev; Anaf Yosef, Bereishit Rabbah 91:6)
In the year 2236, famine began in the land of Canaan because of drought and crop failure, and Shimon traveled with nine brothers to Egypt, where they had heard that grain was available. . In Egypt’s capital, guards suddenly seized them and brought them before the ruler, who accused them of being spies sent from Canaan. During the interrogation, they had to relate that they had left an elderly father and a younger brother, Benjamin, in Canaan. The ruler then took Shimon hostage and ordered the others to return home and bring their younger brother as proof of their account. (Bereishit 42:6—24; Sefer haYashar, Miketz; Tanchuma, Miketz 8)
The ruler of Egypt—Yosef—imprisoned Shimon specifically because Shimon had thrown him into the pit. At the same time, Yosef sought to separate Shimon from Levi, since these brothers, who together had annihilated the men of Shechem, represented too great a force when united.
When Shimon learned that the ruler had chosen him, he reproached his brothers: “Just as you once sold Yosef, so now you are abandoning me!” But they replied: “What can we do? Otherwise our families will die of hunger!” “Do as you see fit,” Shimon said bitterly. When they attempted to seize him, Shimon resisted so fiercely that the Egyptian guards recoiled; only the ruler’s son, Menashe, who possessed extraordinary strength, was able to subdue him.
In front of his brothers, Shimon was bound in chains and taken to the dungeon. But as soon as the brothers left the city, Shimon was released, and he lived in the ruler’s house as an honored guest rather than a captive.
When the brothers returned two months later with Benjamin, the ruler released Shimon along with them. But then Egyptian guards seized Benjamin, accusing him of theft. At first, the ruler of Egypt ordered that the captured “thief” remain as a slave while the other brothers were released. But when they refused to leave without their younger brother, the ruler unexpectedly ordered all the Egyptians out of his throne room and, unable to restrain his sobs, said: “I am Yosef, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt” (Bereishit 43:15—45:4).
When Yaakov blessed his sons before his death, he again rebuked Shimon for the sin of his youth—the massacre of the inhabitants of Shechem: “Shimon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their trade. I have no part in their council and no share in their assembly, for in their anger they killed men! …Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is harsh. I will divide them in Yaakov and scatter them in Israel.” (Bereishit 49:5—7, Onkelos)
Yaakov then blessed Shimon together with all his brothers. (Bamidbar Rabbah 13:8)
In fulfillment of their father’s final wishes, Shimon and his brothers carried Yaakov’s sarcophagus to the land of Canaan and buried him in the family tomb—the Cave of Machpelah.
All the brothers then returned to Egypt (Bereishit 50:13—14; Sefer haYashar, Vayechi; Seder haDorot).
Shimon died in Egypt at the age of 120. (Yalkut Shimoni, Shemot 162; Sefer haYashar, Shemot; Seder haDorot) Later, the sarcophagus containing his body was also carried out of Egypt and buried in the city of Megada, which lay within the territory of his tribe. (Sefer haYashar, Yehoshua; Seder haDorot)
The descendants of Shimon formed one of the twelve tribes of Israel and, together with the tribes of Reuven and Levi, did not worship idols in Egypt. (Bamidbar Rabbah 13:8)
Together with the tribes of Reuven and Gad, it formed part of the camp of Reuven, situated south of the Tent of Meeting. The banner of the tribe of Shimon was green and depicted the wall of the city of Shechem (Rabbi Bachya, Bamidbar 2:2).
Approximately 24,000 men of the tribe of Shimon died in the plague that began because of the sin of Zimri ben Salu, one of the leaders of that tribe. (Bamidbar 25:6—14, Rashi; Bereishit Rabbah 99:7) Before entering the Land of Israel, this tribe had become the smallest, numbering only 22,200. (Bamidbar 26:7)
When the Land of Israel was divided, the descendants of Shimon received “an inheritance within the inheritance of the sons of Judah.” (Yehoshua 19:1). Their cities were scattered throughout the territory of the tribe of Judah and far from one another, in accordance with the patriarch Yaakov’s final prophecy: “I will scatter them in Israel.” (Ramban, Bereishit 49:5—7)
There were especially many Torah teachers and scribes (soferim) among Shimon’s descendants (Rashi, Bereishit 49:7). According to one tradition, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi), who wrote the foundational Kabbalistic work Zohar, descended from the tribe of Shimon (Shivtei Nachalatecha, pp. 53—54).
The Gilgulim of Shimon and Dinah
Chazal teach that during the period from Pesach to Shavuot, 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died in an epidemic. Some specify that this occurred from Pesach until Lag BaOmer.
In the Book of Bereishit, we learn of the terrible story of the abduction and violation of Yaakov Avinu’s daughter Dinah by Shechem ben Chamor, the prince.
Shimon and Levi, having learned of her abduction, came to Shechem. In exchange for Shechem’s desire to keep their sister as his wife, they set one condition: every male in Shechem had to undergo circumcision. On the third day after the men of Shechem circumcised themselves, Shimon and Levi entered the city and slew 24,000 men of Shechem. Shimon rescued Dinah and married her, and from their union was born Shaul ben ha-Canaanite.
The Midrash Tanchuma on Pinchas says: “Zimri had three names: Zimri ben Salu, Shaul ben ha-Canaanite, and Shlomiel ben Zurishaddai.”
Shaul ben ha-Canaanite, the son of Shimon and Dinah, was Zimri—the gilgul of Shechem ben Chamor.
Shechem returned in the gilgul of Dinah and Shimon’s son. Later, he was reincarnated and returned as Zimri, the leader of the tribe of Shimon.
Dinah was reincarnated as the princess Kozbi bat Tzur, daughter of Balak, king of Moav.
Balak realized that Bilaam could not curse Israel, and Bilaam advised Balak to entice Israel to sin with the daughters of Moav, knowing that Ha-Shem hates immorality and punishes it without delay, before other sins.
Balak offered his own daughter to seduce Moshe Rabbeinu or Elazar the Kohen. They sent young, attractive Moabite and Midianite women to sell linen garments and wine to the Israelites.
After forty years of living on manna and water, the people wished to taste wine, and the Jews were lured in. An elderly saleswoman met them at the entrance to the tent, while a young woman was inside. The older woman offered the merchandise and named the price. The younger woman was charming and attentive, as she had been taught; she lowered the price and coaxed the customer with affectionate words.
The text continues: “Israel settled in Shittim, and the people began to whore with the daughters of Moav. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. Israel attached itself to Baal Peor.”
The ending was tragic: “…and the anger of the L-rd was kindled against Israel…”
G-d sent an epidemic upon the Jews, in which 24,000 people died—all of them from the tribe of Shimon. The survivors of the tribe of Shimon came to their leader, Zimri—the reincarnation of Shechem—and asked him to do something.
What did he do? He took Kozbi, the daughter of King Balak. She said to him: “I am a princess, and I deserve only one king—Moshe Rabbeinu.”
He replied: “I rank above him—he descended from Levi, the third tribe, while I descend from Shimon, the second tribe.”
Zimri asked Moshe Rabbeinu a provocative question: were the daughters of Midian permitted to Jews? Moshe Rabbeinu replied: “No—they worship idols.”
Zimri then asked: “Who gave you permission to marry the daughter of Yitro from Midian?”
At that moment, Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu silenced Moshe Rabbeinu, and he was unable to answer Zimri.
Why did Ha-Shem do this?
Had Moshe Rabbeinu killed Zimri, Rabbi Akiva would not have been born. Zimri was later reincarnated as Rabbi Akiva.
Everything Moshe Rabbeinu did passed into eternity and was indestructible.
This is one of the reasons Moshe Rabbeinu did not enter Eretz Yisrael: had he built the Beit HaMikdash, it would have stood forever. Ha-Shem would then have been forced to destroy the Jewish people, G-d forbid, rather than the Beit HaMikdash.
Pinchas saw Zimri and Kozbi sinning. He took a spear, entered the chamber, and pierced them both.
The 24,000 people who died in the epidemic were reincarnations of the 24,000 men of Shechem who had circumcised themselves. Although they had circumcised themselves not l’shem Shamayim, they had nevertheless done so, and this merit enabled them to be reincarnated.
There were seven Clouds of Glory that protected Israel. Israel was protected within the seven clouds, while outside the seven clouds of protection were the Erev Rav.
Since there were no longer any men in the tribe of Shimon, the women of the tribe married men from the Erev Rav. The sons of this union sinned in Canaan and died.
Zimri, the reincarnation of Shechem, had to rectify his past errors with Kozbi, who was the reincarnation of Dinah. Zimri was 250 years old and was one of the seventy people who descended to Egypt with Yaakov Avinu.
At the age of 250, a person has no lust, but he did this in order to rebuke Moshe Rabbeinu. He felt an immense bond with Kozbi, and herein lies a great mystery.
Zohar HaKadosh explains that all these events foreshadow the birth of the Melech HaMashiach. The yetzer hara, which is also the Angel of Death, is very afraid of Mashiach, because when Mashiach comes, its power will be annulled.
This is why Ha-Shem brings Mashiach through mystery, through sin, and through situations that this angel could never even imagine.
Mashiach ben David
The union of Judah and Tamar produced Peretz, and Mashiach will descend from Peretz. From Moav, Ruth’s union with Boaz produced Oved. Yishai descended from Oved, and David HaMelech from Yishai. Mashiach ben David will descend from David HaMelech.
Mashiach ben Yosef
Asenath descended from the union of Shechem ben Chamor and Dinah bat Yaakov. She married Yosef HaTzadik, and Ephraim was born from their union. Mashiach ben Yosef descended from this union.
Pinchas, who is Eliyahu HaNavi, killed Zimri and Kozbi, but they had not yet completed their tikkun. Zimri was reincarnated as Rabbi Akiva, and Kozbi bat Tzur was reincarnated as the wife of Turnus Rufus. The wicked Turnus Rufus hated Rabbi Akiva, and when his beautiful wife asked him what troubled him, he replied: “Rabbi Akiva!”.
Who killed Zimri? Pinchas.
She told him that she would take care of it, because Ha-Shem hates lust; her plan was to seduce him, just as Kozbi bat Tzur had done with Zimri. She dressed provocatively and went to Rabbi Akiva. When Rabbi Akiva saw her, he spat, laughed, and cried. She asked him to explain why he had done this. He told her that he spat because she had originated from a foul drop of semen, cried because such beauty would one day lie beneath the earth, and did not tell her why he laughed.
Through his prophetic vision, he knew that he would marry her. She insisted that he explain why he had laughed, and when he revealed the reason, she married him and gave him all her possessions.
Rabbi Akiva and Turnus Rufus’s wife; Shechem and Dinah; Zimri and Kozbi…
The 24,000 men of Shechem who circumcised themselves and the 24,000 men of the tribe of Shimon who sinned with the women of Midian returned as Rabbi Akiva’s students to complete their tikkun.
Those same 24,000 students died in an epidemic during the period from Pesach to Shavuot, over the course of fifty days, because they did not show respect for one another. Their deaths completed their tikkun.
How did Rabbi Akiva die? His skin was flayed with iron combs.
How did Shechem die? By the sword.
How did Zimri die? By a spear.
What were Rabbi Akiva’s final words? “Shema Yisrael.”
Zimri caused a great chillul Ha-Shem, and when he was reincarnated as Rabbi Akiva, he rectified it by creating a kiddush Ha-Shem and reciting “Shema Yisrael.”
(According to the websites Tzadikim and Toldot)
