Episode 34: Victim Blaming

“Now Dinah, the daughter whom Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land.”וַתֵּצֵא דִינָה בַת־לֵאָה אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לְיַעֲקֹב לִרְאוֹת בִּבְנוֹת הָאָרֶץ׃(Bereishit 34:1)Why does the Torah emphasize Dinah as Leah’s daughter before mentioning Yaacov? Why note that she “went out”? And why specify that it was “to see the daughters of the land”?Rashi explains that Dinah is called Leah’s daughter because she inherited Leah’s tendency to “go out”—just as Leah went out to meet Yaacov in the field (Bereishit 30:16), so too Dinah went out, implying a lack of modesty.Ibn Ezra adds that Dinah went out without permission, suggesting recklessness. Radak echoes Rashi and adds that she is also called Yaacov’s daughter to imply that her rape was a punishment for Yaacov. According to a Midrash on Bereishit 32, Dinah is missing from the list of Yaacov’s children before his encounter with Esav. The Midrash explains that Yaacov hid Dinah in a box to prevent Esav from seeing her and possibly marrying her. Because Yaacov denied Esav a chance to repent through marriage, he was punished through Dinah’s suffering.These views, however, place blame on Dinah for her own victimization.Malbim strongly disagrees. He argues that Dinah is linked to both Leah and Yaacov to highlight her modesty. The verse’s mention that she went out “to see the daughters of the land” shows her innocent intent—she was socializing, not seeking danger.Ramban offers another perspective: Dinah is called Leah’s daughter to connect her to her brothers, Shimon and Levi, who later avenge her honor.When Yaacov hears of the rape, he remains silent until his sons return:וְיַעֲקֹב שָׁמַע כִּי טִמֵּא אֶת־דִינָה בִתּוֹ וּבָנָיו הָיוּ אֶת־מִקְנֵהוּ בַּשָּׂדֶה וְהֶחֱרִשׁ יַעֲקֹב עַד־בֹּאָם׃“Now Jacob heard that [Shechem] had defiled his daughter Dinah; but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, Jacob kept silent until they came home.”(Bereishit 34:5)Even after the massacre of Shechem by Shimon and Levi, Yaacov’s concern is not Dinah’s trauma but his own safety:וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב אֶל־שִׁמְעוֹן וְלֵוִי עֲכַרְתֶּם אֹתִי לְהַבְאִשֵׁנִי בְּיֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ בַּכְּנַעֲנִי וּבַפְּרִזִּי וַאֲנִי מְתֵי מִסְפָּר וְנֶאֶסְפוּ עָלַי וְהִכּוּנִי וְנִשְׁמַדְתִּי אֲנִי וּבֵיתִי׃“Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ‘You have brought trouble on me, making me odious among the inhabitants of the land… I am few in number, and if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.’”(Bereishit 34:30)But Shimon and Levi respond with moral clarity:וַיֹּאמְרוּ הַכְזוֹנָה יַעֲשֶׂה אֶת־אֲחוֹתֵנוּ׃“Should our sister be treated like a prostitute?”(Bereishit 34:31)Their words mark a turning point: Dinah is not to blame. She is innocent, and her attackers must be held accountable.