The table below presents two contradictory verses/verselets. Both verses speak about the conquest of Schem The underlined words highlight the contradiction. One verse/verselet says Shimon and Levi came on the city by sword, killed the people and saved Dinah while the other verse/verselet says Jacob acquired Schem with his sword and bow. We see the contradiction Which is it? Did Jacob acquire the city or did Shimon and Levi acquire the city. Rashi simply resolves this using the 2 Aspects, 2 Stages method: 1st, the entire family, Jacob and his children, conspired to weaken the city by requiring circumcision (Gn34-05:18). 2nd, the city being weakened, Shimon and Levi came and saved Dinah from the city which couldn't fight back because they were helpless 3rd, Additionally, (not part of the original plan to weaken the city and save Dinah) Shimon and Levi without family consent decided to take revenge and kill the city where there sister was raped.(Gn34-25:26) 4th, although Jacob cursed Shimon and Levi for destroying the city (Gn34-30,Gn49-06), he did approve of weakening the city and presumably the city would have died out (at the hands of God) without Shimon and Levi taking the law into their own hands.

Summary	Verse / Source	Text of verse / Source
Jacob acquired Schem through his own sword and bough. He approved of the plan	Gn48-22, Gn34-05	And I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow. ...And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; and his sons were with his cattle in the field; and Jacob held his peace until they came.
Shimon and Levi conquered Schem, Jacob did not approve	Gn34-25:26, Gn49-05:06	And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males..... And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out. .... Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are their swords. O my soul, do not come into their council; to their assembly, let my honor not be united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their wanton will they lamed an ox.
Resolution:	2 Aspects	1st, the entire family, Jacob and his children, conspired to weaken the city by requiring circumcision (Gn34-05:18). 2nd, the city being weakened, Shimon and Levi came and saved Dinah from the city which couldn't fight back because they were helpless 3rd, Additionally, (not part of the original plan to weaken the city and save Dinah) Shimon and Levi without family consent decided to take revenge and kill the city where there sister was raped.(Gn34-25:26) 4th, although Jacob cursed Shimon and Levi for destroying the city (Gn34-30,Gn49-06), he did approve of weakening the city and presumably the city would have died out (at the hands of God) without Shimon and Levi taking the law into their own hands.

Advanced Rashi: Notice that both methods of resolving contradictions - two stages as well as two aspects - are used here. (1)Jacob's delegating authority to his (2) children who implemented the actions represents two aspects of the decision to make the Schemites circumcise. On the other hand (1)Jacob's approval of weakening the city by circumcision in order to be able to save Dinah, and (2) Shimon and Levi's taking revenge on the whole city are two stages, - the first stage was approved (weakening and saving) while the second stage (revenge) was not approved.

It is interesting that the contradictions we have been citing are brought in a gloss addition to Rashi by the Raam. The Raam's comments form the basis for classifying this Rashi as contradiction.

Rashi literally says With my sword and bow: With my wisdom and prayer. This has erroneously led people to think that Rashi is interpreting sword, bow as wisdom, prayer. By contrast I have interpreted Rashi as meaning: With my wisdom and prayer I waited for the whole family and organized the family so that we required circumcision for Dinah's marriage; the original plan was to weaken the city so that we could save Dinah and leave. Undoubtedly God would have killed off the city because of their weakened state. I however never authorized the slaying of innocent helpless people in an act of vengenance. So it follows that Jacob's sword refers to the ruse of weakening the city. We can even pun and note that sword is a male symbol and therefore my sword could refer to the requirement of circumcision by which the city was weakened.

In summary: The main point is that Jacob did participate in initial discussions and had plans to weaken the city and save Dinah. Shimon and Levi went further and killed off the city. Jacob disapproved of this but did not disapprove of the initial plan. Since Jacob approved of the initial plan he can take credit for acquiring Schem.