The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
In Bereishis 34:7 the Torah mentions the reaction of Ya'akov's sons to the news of Shechem's raping of their sister Dina. The Torah uses the words "Nivalah Asah" - an abomination took place as well as the language "V'Chen Lo Ye'aseh" - and this should not be done.
R' Frand quoted the Beis HaLevi who took note of the two seemingly different negative statements about the act. He observed that if Shechem was asked how he could have done this to the daughter of a great man like Ya'akov, he could have responded that he did not know that this was Ya'akov's daughter. Thus the pasuk is saying - this should not be done to any woman, and even though you may have not have known the stature of the family, you are being held fully responsible for your actions.
The Beis HaLevi brought a proof from a Gemara in Bava Kamma which discusses a person who was given a coin to watch. The person was told that it was a silver coin, but in reality it was a gold coin. When he was negligent and the coin was lost, he was only required to reimburse the owner for the value of a silver coin. But if he actively damaged the coin, he must pay for a gold coin, even though he was told it was only silver. Why? Because once someone intentionally acts, he is held accountable even for things that he was unaware of. This is why Shechem's protest that he did not know is disregarded. He may not have known that she was Ya'akov's daughter, but she was someone's daughter and should never have been violated.
R' Frand linked this to an actual story involving the Beis HaLevi. He was once travelling incognito and needed to stay at an inn. When he arrived, the inn keeper did not know that he was anything other than a stam Jew, so he gave him a simple room. Some time later a Chassidish Rebbi shows up with his entourage. The inn keeper did not have enough room for all the people travelling with the Rebbi, so he told the Beis HaLevi that he would need to find another inn. The Beis HaLevi left and begin looking for alternate lodging, but was unsuccessful. He returned to the inn and the inn keeper begrudgingly allowed him to sleep in the hallway.
The next morning, the Rebbi wanted to make a minyan, but was short. He asked the inn keeper who remembered that there was a stam Jew in the hallway. When the Beis HaLevi walked into the minyan, the Rebbi rose and gave him an especially honorable welcome. The inn keeper was aghast and begged the Beis HaLevi's forgiveness. The Beis HaLevi admonished him - you did not know that I was the Beis HaLevi, but you should never have treated any Jew that way. Thus, while you were unaware that you were dishonoring a Torah scholar, you are still held liable for showing disrespect because you never should treat a fellow Jew this way and you are therefore on the hook for things you did not know about.
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