(א) וַתֵּצֵ֤א דִינָה֙ בַּת־לֵאָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָלְדָ֖ה לְיַעֲקֹ֑ב לִרְא֖וֹת בִּבְנ֥וֹת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ב) וַיַּ֨רְא אֹתָ֜הּ שְׁכֶ֧ם בֶּן־חֲמ֛וֹר הַֽחִוִּ֖י נְשִׂ֣יא הָאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּקַּ֥ח אֹתָ֛הּ וַיִּשְׁכַּ֥ב אֹתָ֖הּ וַיְעַנֶּֽהָ׃ (ג) וַתִּדְבַּ֣ק נַפְשׁ֔וֹ בְּדִינָ֖ה בַּֽת־יַעֲקֹ֑ב וַיֶּֽאֱהַב֙ אֶת־הַֽנַּעֲרָ֔ וַיְדַבֵּ֖ר עַל־לֵ֥ב הַֽנַּעֲרָֽ׃ (ד) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שְׁכֶ֔ם אֶל־חֲמ֥וֹר אָבִ֖יו לֵאמֹ֑ר קַֽח־לִ֛י אֶת־הַיַּלְדָּ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את לְאִשָּֽׁה׃ (ה) וְיַעֲקֹ֣ב שָׁמַ֗ע כִּ֤י טִמֵּא֙ אֶת־דִּינָ֣ה בִתּ֔וֹ וּבָנָ֛יו הָי֥וּ אֶת־מִקְנֵ֖הוּ בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה וְהֶחֱרִ֥שׁ יַעֲקֹ֖ב עַד־בֹּאָֽם׃ (ו) וַיֵּצֵ֛א חֲמ֥וֹר אֲבִֽי־שְׁכֶ֖ם אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֑ב לְדַבֵּ֖ר אִתּֽוֹ׃ (ז) וּבְנֵ֨י יַעֲקֹ֜ב בָּ֤אוּ מִן־הַשָּׂדֶה֙ כְּשׇׁמְעָ֔ם וַיִּֽתְעַצְּבוּ֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וַיִּ֥חַר לָהֶ֖ם מְאֹ֑ד כִּֽי־נְבָלָ֞ה עָשָׂ֣ה בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לִשְׁכַּב֙ אֶת־בַּֽת־יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְכֵ֖ן לֹ֥א יֵעָשֶֽׂה׃ (ח) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר חֲמ֖וֹר אִתָּ֣ם לֵאמֹ֑ר שְׁכֶ֣ם בְּנִ֗י חָֽשְׁקָ֤ה נַפְשׁוֹ֙ בְּבִתְּכֶ֔ם תְּנ֨וּ נָ֥א אֹתָ֛הּ ל֖וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃ (ט) וְהִֽתְחַתְּנ֖וּ אֹתָ֑נוּ בְּנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ תִּתְּנוּ־לָ֔נוּ וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵ֖ינוּ תִּקְח֥וּ לָכֶֽם׃ (י) וְאִתָּ֖נוּ תֵּשֵׁ֑בוּ וְהָאָ֙רֶץ֙ תִּהְיֶ֣ה לִפְנֵיכֶ֔ם שְׁבוּ֙ וּסְחָר֔וּהָ וְהֵֽאָחֲז֖וּ בָּֽהּ׃ (יא) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר שְׁכֶם֙ אֶל־אָבִ֣יהָ וְאֶל־אַחֶ֔יהָ אֶמְצָא־חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֵיכֶ֑ם וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר תֹּאמְר֛וּ אֵלַ֖י אֶתֵּֽן׃ (יב) הַרְבּ֨וּ עָלַ֤י מְאֹד֙ מֹ֣הַר וּמַתָּ֔ן וְאֶ֨תְּנָ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר תֹּאמְר֖וּ אֵלָ֑י וּתְנוּ־לִ֥י אֶת־הַֽנַּעֲרָ֖ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃ (יג) וַיַּעֲנ֨וּ בְנֵֽי־יַעֲקֹ֜ב אֶת־שְׁכֶ֨ם וְאֶת־חֲמ֥וֹר אָבִ֛יו בְּמִרְמָ֖ה וַיְדַבֵּ֑רוּ אֲשֶׁ֣ר טִמֵּ֔א אֵ֖ת דִּינָ֥ה אֲחֹתָֽם׃ (יד) וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם לֹ֤א נוּכַל֙ לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה לָתֵת֙ אֶת־אֲחֹתֵ֔נוּ לְאִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ עׇרְלָ֑ה כִּֽי־חֶרְפָּ֥ה הִ֖וא לָֽנוּ׃ (טו) אַךְ־בְּזֹ֖את נֵא֣וֹת לָכֶ֑ם אִ֚ם תִּהְי֣וּ כָמֹ֔נוּ לְהִמֹּ֥ל לָכֶ֖ם כׇּל־זָכָֽר׃ (טז) וְנָתַ֤נּוּ אֶת־בְּנֹתֵ֙ינוּ֙ לָכֶ֔ם וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵיכֶ֖ם נִֽקַּֽח־לָ֑נוּ וְיָשַׁ֣בְנוּ אִתְּכֶ֔ם וְהָיִ֖ינוּ לְעַ֥ם אֶחָֽד׃ (יז) וְאִם־לֹ֧א תִשְׁמְע֛וּ אֵלֵ֖ינוּ לְהִמּ֑וֹל וְלָקַ֥חְנוּ אֶת־בִּתֵּ֖נוּ וְהָלָֽכְנוּ׃ (יח) וַיִּֽיטְב֥וּ דִבְרֵיהֶ֖ם בְּעֵינֵ֣י חֲמ֑וֹר וּבְעֵינֵ֖י שְׁכֶ֥ם בֶּן־חֲמֽוֹר׃ (יט) וְלֹֽא־אֵחַ֤ר הַנַּ֙עַר֙ לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת הַדָּבָ֔ר כִּ֥י חָפֵ֖ץ בְּבַֽת־יַעֲקֹ֑ב וְה֣וּא נִכְבָּ֔ד מִכֹּ֖ל בֵּ֥ית אָבִֽיו׃ (כ) וַיָּבֹ֥א חֲמ֛וֹר וּשְׁכֶ֥ם בְּנ֖וֹ אֶל־שַׁ֣עַר עִירָ֑ם וַֽיְדַבְּר֛וּ אֶל־אַנְשֵׁ֥י עִירָ֖ם לֵאמֹֽר׃ (כא) הָאֲנָשִׁ֨ים הָאֵ֜לֶּה שְֽׁלֵמִ֧ים הֵ֣ם אִתָּ֗נוּ וְיֵשְׁב֤וּ בָאָ֙רֶץ֙ וְיִסְחֲר֣וּ אֹתָ֔הּ וְהָאָ֛רֶץ הִנֵּ֥ה רַֽחֲבַת־יָדַ֖יִם לִפְנֵיהֶ֑ם אֶת־בְּנֹתָם֙ נִקַּֽח־לָ֣נוּ לְנָשִׁ֔ים וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵ֖ינוּ נִתֵּ֥ן לָהֶֽם׃ (כב) אַךְ־בְּ֠זֹ֠את יֵאֹ֨תוּ לָ֤נוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים֙ לָשֶׁ֣בֶת אִתָּ֔נוּ לִהְי֖וֹת לְעַ֣ם אֶחָ֑ד בְּהִמּ֥וֹל לָ֙נוּ֙ כׇּל־זָכָ֔ר כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר הֵ֥ם נִמֹּלִֽים׃ (כג) מִקְנֵהֶ֤ם וְקִנְיָנָם֙ וְכׇל־בְּהֶמְתָּ֔ם הֲל֥וֹא לָ֖נוּ הֵ֑ם אַ֚ךְ נֵא֣וֹתָה לָהֶ֔ם וְיֵשְׁב֖וּ אִתָּֽנוּ׃ (כד) וַיִּשְׁמְע֤וּ אֶל־חֲמוֹר֙ וְאֶל־שְׁכֶ֣ם בְּנ֔וֹ כׇּל־יֹצְאֵ֖י שַׁ֣עַר עִיר֑וֹ וַיִּמֹּ֙לוּ֙ כׇּל־זָכָ֔ר כׇּל־יֹצְאֵ֖י שַׁ֥עַר עִירֽוֹ׃ (כה) וַיְהִי֩ בַיּ֨וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֜י בִּֽהְיוֹתָ֣ם כֹּֽאֲבִ֗ים וַיִּקְח֣וּ שְׁנֵֽי־בְנֵי־יַ֠עֲקֹ֠ב שִׁמְע֨וֹן וְלֵוִ֜י אֲחֵ֤י דִינָה֙ אִ֣ישׁ חַרְבּ֔וֹ וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ עַל־הָעִ֖יר בֶּ֑טַח וַיַּֽהַרְג֖וּ כׇּל־זָכָֽר׃ (כו) וְאֶת־חֲמוֹר֙ וְאֶת־שְׁכֶ֣ם בְּנ֔וֹ הָרְג֖וּ לְפִי־חָ֑רֶב וַיִּקְח֧וּ אֶת־דִּינָ֛ה מִבֵּ֥ית שְׁכֶ֖ם וַיֵּצֵֽאוּ׃ (כז) בְּנֵ֣י יַעֲקֹ֗ב בָּ֚אוּ עַל־הַ֣חֲלָלִ֔ים וַיָּבֹ֖זּוּ הָעִ֑יר אֲשֶׁ֥ר טִמְּא֖וּ אֲחוֹתָֽם׃ (כח) אֶת־צֹאנָ֥ם וְאֶת־בְּקָרָ֖ם וְאֶת־חֲמֹרֵיהֶ֑ם וְאֵ֧ת אֲשֶׁר־בָּעִ֛יר וְאֶת־אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּשָּׂדֶ֖ה לָקָֽחוּ׃ (כט) וְאֶת־כׇּל־חֵילָ֤ם וְאֶת־כׇּל־טַפָּם֙ וְאֶת־נְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם שָׁב֖וּ וַיָּבֹ֑זּוּ וְאֵ֖ת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּבָּֽיִת׃ (ל) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יַעֲקֹ֜ב אֶל־שִׁמְע֣וֹן וְאֶל־לֵוִי֮ עֲכַרְתֶּ֣ם אֹתִי֒ לְהַבְאִישֵׁ֙נִי֙ בְּיֹשֵׁ֣ב הָאָ֔רֶץ בַּֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י וּבַפְּרִזִּ֑י וַאֲנִי֙ מְתֵ֣י מִסְפָּ֔ר וְנֶאֶסְפ֤וּ עָלַי֙ וְהִכּ֔וּנִי וְנִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י אֲנִ֥י וּבֵיתִֽי׃ (לא) וַיֹּאמְר֑וּ הַכְזוֹנָ֕ה יַעֲשֶׂ֖ה אֶת־אֲחוֹתֵֽנוּ׃ {פ}
(1) Now Dinah, the daughter whom Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land. (2) Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, chief of the country, saw her, and took her and lay with her by force. (3) Being strongly drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and in love with the maiden, he spoke to the maiden tenderly. (4) So Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as a wife.” (5) Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah; but since his sons were in the field with his cattle, Jacob kept silent until they came home. (6) Then Shechem’s father Hamor came out to Jacob to speak to him. (7) Meanwhile Jacob’s sons, having heard the news, came in from the field. The men were distressed and very angry, because he had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter—a thing not to be done. (8) And Hamor spoke with them, saying, “My son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him in marriage. (9) Intermarry with us: give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves: (10) You will dwell among us, and the land will be open before you; settle, move about, and acquire holdings in it.” (11) Then Shechem said to her father and brothers, “Do me this favor, and I will pay whatever you tell me. (12) Ask of me a bride-price ever so high, as well as gifts, and I will pay what you tell me; only give me the maiden for a wife.” (13) Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor—speaking with guile because he had defiled their sister Dinah— (14) and said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for that is a disgrace among us. (15) Only on this condition will we agree with you; that you will become like us in that every male among you is circumcised. (16) Then we will give our daughters to you and take your daughters to ourselves; and we will dwell among you and become as one kindred. (17) But if you will not listen to us and become circumcised, we will take our daughter and go.” (18) Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem. (19) And the youth lost no time in doing the thing, for he wanted Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most respected in his father’s house. (20) So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the public place-a of their town and spoke to their fellow townsmen, saying, (21) “These people are our friends; let them settle in the land and move about in it, for the land is large enough for them; we will take their daughters to ourselves as wives and give our daughters to them. (22) But only on this condition will the men agree with us to dwell among us and be as one kindred: that all our males become circumcised as they are circumcised. (23) Their cattle and substance and all their beasts will be ours, if we only agree to their terms, so that they will settle among us.” (24) All who went out of the gate of his town-b heeded Hamor and his son Shechem, and all males, all those who went out of the gate of his town,-bwere circumcised. (25) On the third day, when they were in pain, Simeon and Levi, two of Jacob’s sons, brothers of Dinah, took each his sword, came upon the city unmolested, and slew all the males. (26) They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword, took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away. (27) The other sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the town, because their sister had been defiled. (28) They seized their flocks and herds and asses, all that was inside the town and outside; (29) all their wealth, all their children, and their wives, all that was in the houses, they took as captives and booty. (30) Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me, making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites; my men are few in number, so that if they unite against me and attack me, I and my house will be destroyed.” (31) But they answered, “Should our sister be treated like a whore?”
The Rape of Dinah
Leah: a Mother’s Prayer and a Child’s Burden
Genesis Rabbah 72:6 tells an unusual tale of Dinah and Joseph being switched in utero, a tale that is also picked up by the Gemara in Brachot 60a and later by Rashi. In Genesis Rabbah, the rabbis suggest that Dinah’s name, which means “judgment”, is linked to the Hebrew word “dayenu” because Leah prayed to God, saying that she had already born “enough” sons. To explain this rather unusual prayer uttered by an unloved wife whose worth was determined by her production of male children, the rabbis tell us that Leah had a prophetic vision of the twelve tribes of Israel and knew that the child she carried was yet another boy. In an unusual twist that seems to go against the grain of the unresolved sibling rivalry between Rachel and Leah narrated in the Torah, the midrash tells us that Leah prayed for God to switch the children in their respective wombs so that Rachel could enjoy the honor of giving birth to a son—Joseph. According to this midrash, the boy child, Joseph, is a prize for Rachel and a sacrifice for Leah and thus, Dinah, the female child, appears to have little value. This leaves us to wonder how the story might have been different if Dinah had been born to Rachel, the first and only child of a long-barren woman desperate for children. Would Jacob and Rachel have done more to protect Dinah? Would Jacob have been moved to avenge the wrong done to his only daughter had she been the issue of Rachel, rather than Leah? Would Shimon and Levi have felt obliged to avenge a half-sister by killing Shechem and all his kinsmen?
Dinah; Like Mother Like Daughter
In this same line of questioning, the rabbis emphasized that the Torah refers to Dinah as the “the daughter of Leah, whom she had born to Jacob…”, rather than “Dinah, daughter of Jacob.” This is a curious construction in the Torah; one that doesn’t go unnoticed. Esther Fuchs, in her book Sexual Politics in the Biblical Narrative, writes “Much in the same way that biblical mothers are characterized in relation to their sons, the few narratives dealing with daughter-figures rarely make reference to their mothers. Biblical daughters are the children of fathers...”[1] If, indeed, Dinah should have been called “Dinah, daughter of Jacob”, why, instead, did the Bible label her as “the daughter of Leah?” This is one of those instances where a discrepancy or deviation from the standard form of the biblical narrative must be explained. The rabbis explicated the rest of the verse to uncover a covert linkage that they believed the authors of our Torah text made between the behavior of the mother and the consequences it had for her daughter. In regards to this verse, Rashi said “…because of her going out she was called the daughter of Leah, since she (Leah) too was in the habit of going out, as it is said: “and Leah came forth toward him (Jacob)” (Gen. 30:16). Rashi went on to cite Genesis Rabbah 80:1 which speaks of the proverb “like mother like daughter”, meaning that Dinah had learned this inappropriate behavior of “going out” from her mother. In Genesis Rabbah 80:5, the rabbis labeled Dinah a “gadabout” and, additionally, suggested that she would not only wander about, but do so improperly dress. The midrash claims that one of Dinah’s arms became exposed during her outing and “she was like a pound of meat…and a bird (Shechem) swooped down and snatched her away.” Maimonides, in the Mishneh Torah says:
“For every woman has the right to leave her home and go to her father’s house in order to visit him…she is not like a prisoner that she should neither come nor go. But it is shameful for a woman to leave her home continually…a husband should prevent his wife from doing this. He should not allow her to leave the house more than once or twice a month, according to the need. For the beauty of a woman consists in her sitting in a corner of her home.” (Kidushin 13:11)
More specifically, Dinah’s transgression wasn’t merely about wandering or wardrobe; in Deuteronomy 22:23, the Torah says that a virgin girl who is raped in a city should be punished because she was inside the city walls (and therefore within earshot of others) and did not cry out for help, and therefore, was likely complicit. Rashi extended this to say that if a woman is outside the city walls and is raped, she is also to blame because “had she remained at home, this would not have happened to her.”
Jacob; Shouldering the Blame
Although the rabbis place a heavy burden on Leah and Dinah, they claim that the whole incident was precipitated by Jacob. In Genesis 33: 1-6, Jacob goes out with his wives and sons to meet Esau and his army of 400 men. Genesis Rabbah 78:10 tells us that Joseph wished to protect his mother from Esau and therefore walked in front of her in order to hide her from Esau’s view. Rashi explained further that, if the adult women were vulnerable, then Dinah, a female child, would need extra protection. According to Genesis Rabbah 30, Jacob placed Dinah “in a chest and locked her in so that Esau should not set his fancy on her.” Although, on the surface, Jacob’s action appears laudable, the rabbis claim that God was angry at Jacob, saying, “If thou hadst married off thy daughter (Dinah) in time she would not have been tempted to sin, and might, moreover, have exerted a beneficial influence upon her husband (Esau).”
Leah: a Mother’s Prayer and a Child’s Burden
Genesis Rabbah 72:6 tells an unusual tale of Dinah and Joseph being switched in utero, a tale that is also picked up by the Gemara in Brachot 60a and later by Rashi. In Genesis Rabbah, the rabbis suggest that Dinah’s name, which means “judgment”, is linked to the Hebrew word “dayenu” because Leah prayed to God, saying that she had already born “enough” sons. To explain this rather unusual prayer uttered by an unloved wife whose worth was determined by her production of male children, the rabbis tell us that Leah had a prophetic vision of the twelve tribes of Israel and knew that the child she carried was yet another boy. In an unusual twist that seems to go against the grain of the unresolved sibling rivalry between Rachel and Leah narrated in the Torah, the midrash tells us that Leah prayed for God to switch the children in their respective wombs so that Rachel could enjoy the honor of giving birth to a son—Joseph. According to this midrash, the boy child, Joseph, is a prize for Rachel and a sacrifice for Leah and thus, Dinah, the female child, appears to have little value. This leaves us to wonder how the story might have been different if Dinah had been born to Rachel, the first and only child of a long-barren woman desperate for children. Would Jacob and Rachel have done more to protect Dinah? Would Jacob have been moved to avenge the wrong done to his only daughter had she been the issue of Rachel, rather than Leah? Would Shimon and Levi have felt obliged to avenge a half-sister by killing Shechem and all his kinsmen?
Dinah; Like Mother Like Daughter
In this same line of questioning, the rabbis emphasized that the Torah refers to Dinah as the “the daughter of Leah, whom she had born to Jacob…”, rather than “Dinah, daughter of Jacob.” This is a curious construction in the Torah; one that doesn’t go unnoticed. Esther Fuchs, in her book Sexual Politics in the Biblical Narrative, writes “Much in the same way that biblical mothers are characterized in relation to their sons, the few narratives dealing with daughter-figures rarely make reference to their mothers. Biblical daughters are the children of fathers...”[1] If, indeed, Dinah should have been called “Dinah, daughter of Jacob”, why, instead, did the Bible label her as “the daughter of Leah?” This is one of those instances where a discrepancy or deviation from the standard form of the biblical narrative must be explained. The rabbis explicated the rest of the verse to uncover a covert linkage that they believed the authors of our Torah text made between the behavior of the mother and the consequences it had for her daughter. In regards to this verse, Rashi said “…because of her going out she was called the daughter of Leah, since she (Leah) too was in the habit of going out, as it is said: “and Leah came forth toward him (Jacob)” (Gen. 30:16). Rashi went on to cite Genesis Rabbah 80:1 which speaks of the proverb “like mother like daughter”, meaning that Dinah had learned this inappropriate behavior of “going out” from her mother. In Genesis Rabbah 80:5, the rabbis labeled Dinah a “gadabout” and, additionally, suggested that she would not only wander about, but do so improperly dress. The midrash claims that one of Dinah’s arms became exposed during her outing and “she was like a pound of meat…and a bird (Shechem) swooped down and snatched her away.” Maimonides, in the Mishneh Torah says:
“For every woman has the right to leave her home and go to her father’s house in order to visit him…she is not like a prisoner that she should neither come nor go. But it is shameful for a woman to leave her home continually…a husband should prevent his wife from doing this. He should not allow her to leave the house more than once or twice a month, according to the need. For the beauty of a woman consists in her sitting in a corner of her home.” (Kidushin 13:11)
More specifically, Dinah’s transgression wasn’t merely about wandering or wardrobe; in Deuteronomy 22:23, the Torah says that a virgin girl who is raped in a city should be punished because she was inside the city walls (and therefore within earshot of others) and did not cry out for help, and therefore, was likely complicit. Rashi extended this to say that if a woman is outside the city walls and is raped, she is also to blame because “had she remained at home, this would not have happened to her.”
Jacob; Shouldering the Blame
Although the rabbis place a heavy burden on Leah and Dinah, they claim that the whole incident was precipitated by Jacob. In Genesis 33: 1-6, Jacob goes out with his wives and sons to meet Esau and his army of 400 men. Genesis Rabbah 78:10 tells us that Joseph wished to protect his mother from Esau and therefore walked in front of her in order to hide her from Esau’s view. Rashi explained further that, if the adult women were vulnerable, then Dinah, a female child, would need extra protection. According to Genesis Rabbah 30, Jacob placed Dinah “in a chest and locked her in so that Esau should not set his fancy on her.” Although, on the surface, Jacob’s action appears laudable, the rabbis claim that God was angry at Jacob, saying, “If thou hadst married off thy daughter (Dinah) in time she would not have been tempted to sin, and might, moreover, have exerted a beneficial influence upon her husband (Esau).”
[1] Esther Fuchs, Sexual Politics in the Biblical Narrative; Reading the Hebrew Bible as a Woman (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000), 117