Vayishlach
Dinah
We have
here in chapter 34 an account of a massacre of men, women and children, the
inhabitants of a whole town. Was such a
deed justified? Was it justified as
retaliation for the abominable crime referred to in the question of Jacob’s two
sons Shimon and Levi, “should one deal with our sister as with an harlot?”.. If
the deed was justified why did Jacob angrily reprimand them at the time….(and
on his deathbed, when he says to them), “cursed be their anger, for it was
fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel.”
Nechama
Leibowitz (20th Century)
Among
the criticisms that the Sages level at Jacob, perhaps the most unexpected is his
responsibility for the fate of Dinah.
This, specifically, according to Rashi, happened because (when he met Esau)
he did not show him Dinah? He placed her
in a box and locked it, so that Esau should not lay eyes on her. For this, Jacob was punished, for withholding
her from his brother – perhaps she would have redeemed him? - and she fell into the hands of Shekhem.
Aviva
Zornberg ( Contemporary)
Had
Shimon and Levi killed only Shekhem and Hamor, they could hardly have been
blamed for that act. But they did not
spare the unarmed, defenseless men who
were at their mercy. They went even
further: they looted the city. They made all the inhabitants of the place
pay for the crime that had been committed by the lord of their manner, as it
were. For this there can be no
justification…The feelings that motivated Shimon and Levi, the lord of the
manor would never have taken such liberties if the maiden in question had not
been a foreign, friendless “Jew –girl.”
This had made Shimon and Levi realize that there would be times when
even the family of Jacob would have to take up the sword in defense of purity
and honor….
Samson
Raphael Hirsch (19th Century)
Scripture
does not mention what happened to her after her rescue from Shechem’s
house. In line with the simple meaning
of scripture, she stayed with her brothers, “shut up, living as widows,” as she
was considered defiled in their sight…Our rabbis have differed on this
matter. The most feasible opinion is
that of he who says that Shimone cared for her and upon her death he buried her
in the
Nachmanides
(13th Century)
Until now, the Torah has identified Dina as the
offspring of Leah and Yaakov in the story…From
this point forward in the text, however, The Torah refers to Dina solely based
upon her relation to her siblings. She
becomes "their sister"; they become "Dina's brothers." Even their statement "we will take our
daughter"
(v. 19) reflects the extent to which they have
assumed Yaakov's place. To the brothers,
Yaakov's silence now signifies something more grievous – it is a sign that his
indifference to Dina's fate. What could
lead them to this conclusion? The Torah
alluded to it at the beginning of the story – she is Dina, the daughter of
Leah. Despite the previous demonstration
of unity shown towards Lavan, despite their adoption of the corporate identity
of
Yaakov Beasley