Dinah

Torah tells us that Dinah, daughter of Jacob and Leah, was the victim of rape. Oral traditions add to our understanding of this special woman.

The classical interpretation is that Leah and Dinah’s behavior is being condemned as unbecoming the Jewish woman’s virtue of “innerness.” But a careful analysis of the source texts shows the very opposite to be the case . . .

“And Dinah the daughter of Leah who was born to Jacob went out to see the daughters of the land.” Rashi explains “The daughter of Leah”, similar to Leah; she went out and left the house. Why the negative explanation?

The Destruction of Shechem, The War against the Seven Kings

Test your knowledge of the sister to the 12 Tribes.

The women in Abraham’s family were abducted (or nearly abducted) no less than four times . . .

There is only one incident of sexual abuse that is recorded explicitly in the Torah. It is quite a tragic read, and the repercussions are curiously significant.

At first Leah appears to be negative, weak and pale. But the more we dig, the more we learn and come to appreciate Leah, her strength, her quiet inspiration and her unending devotion.