B'nei Israel Congregation - San José, Costa Rica |
VAYISLACH 5765
Genesis 32:4 - 36:43
TORAH'S MESSAGE - by Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky
We read in parashat Vayishlach about the encounter of Iaakov with his brother Esav. At least twenty years since he ran away from his home escaping from Esav’s fury, who threatened with killing him, Iaakov returns to the land of Israel. The return is full with fear and worry before the imminent revenge.
Finally, the brothers encounter, hug and cry together. Their destinies would almost not cross again, but after so much time, they might be able to redirect their lives, no more runaways nor chasings.
The open wounds because of differences with our family are produced sometimes in just minutes or just from a couple of misunderstandings. Healing can take years. Iaakov and Esav finally reencounter… Will we be able to imitate them?
Shabbat Shalom.
SERMON - by Rabbi Daniela Szuster
“And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land saw her; and he took her, and lay with her, and humbled her.” (Bereshit 34:1-2)
This is one of many cases where women and children suffer from power, strength and dehumanizing abuse. To tell the truth, the problem doesn't reside only in Shjem's action but in the society that availed it, also.
Many midrashim intend to explain this event. And as it often happens in our society, the midrashim try to look for someone to blame. Some blame Dinah arguing that she should not have left the limits of the territory where her family lived. The typical explanation would be: “she asked for it.”
Others blame the mother saying “like mother, like daughter”. Somehow she learned such flirting attitude.
Others blame Iahakov for not paying attention to his daughter, too.
I don’t know for which reason, but human beings sometimes try to blame someone else and we don’t just blame the victimizer.
Shjem not only made Dinah suffer, but he wanted to take her for wife and that’s why his father Hamor approached Iahakov to ask him to allow his son to take her as wife. He also proposed the possibility to interchange sons and daughters from both people. Iahakov with his sons accepted the proposal with the condition that they circumcise. In effect, all of Hamor’s people circumcised.
Dinah was soiled, and they accepted the possibility to include them within the people of Israel? Maybe they thought they would not dare, but why did they not react, reject such proposal, and try to redeem the pain and suffering of their daughter and sister?
Many times it happens in our society that we don’t say things in front of the person, we show ourselves as distracted believing that everything will be solved magically . We don’t take into account that in this way, the problem gradually worsens and complicates very much.
In fact, two of Dinah’s brothers tried to redeem her, but not in the proper way.
The Torah tells that at the third day of the circumcision, Shimon and Levi took their swords and, taking advantage of the Hamor people’s weakness, they killed them and rescued Dinah.
They had the bravery and courage to make justice for their sister. Iahakov got angry with them for this action. Maybe he was angry for the way they exercised justice, which is not recommendable. Without doubt, violence is not the way to accomplish true justice.
Important is that they did not allow such a cruel and humiliating act to go unnoticed, stimulating other similar cases to be repeated.
When the Torah mentions Shimon and Levi, it says: “Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren” and a midrash (Bereshit Rabah 80:10) asks: was she sister only of Shimon and Levi, but not of the rest of Iahakov’s sons?
And the midrash answers: only Shimon and Levi figure as brothers given that they risk their lives for Dinah.
Maybe this midrash wants to teach us that a true brother is not the one with the same blood but one who is ready to help, fight and pursue justice when a brother, any human being, is found vulnerable, unprotected, and full of pain.
In the Torah, Dinah our sister, son of our father Israel, is not heard speaking. Not a tear is mentioned.
May G-d grant us to be courageous and valiant to help Dinah never to shut up. That she doesn’t die of pain and suffering.
May G-d help us to fight so there won’t be more Dinahs who suffer in silence, and that society becomes responsible and doesn't turn its sight to the other side.
Let us not follow the way of violence of Shimon and Levi, but their feeling of justice for the damage caused upon their sister.
May G-d help us to blame not the victim and his/her environment, but the victimizer and his action.
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