הפטרת דינה

Last, she bore him a daughter, and named her Dinah.

Now Dinah, the daughter whom Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land. Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, chief of the country, saw her, and took her and lay with her and disgraced her. Being strongly drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and in love with the maiden, he spoke to the maiden tenderly. So Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as a wife.” 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. Then Shechem’s father Hamor came out to Jacob to speak to him. 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. And Hamor spoke with them, saying, “My son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him in marriage. Intermarry with us: give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves: You will dwell among us, and the land will be open before you; settle, move about, and acquire holdings in it.” Then Shechem said to her father and brothers, “Do me this favor, and I will pay whatever you tell me. 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.” Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor—speaking with guile because he had defiled their sister Dinah— 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. Only on this condition will we agree with you; that you will become like us in that every male among you is circumcised. 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. But if you will not listen to us and become circumcised, we will take our daughter and go.” Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem. 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. So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the public place of their town and spoke to their town council, saying, “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. But only on this condition will their representatives agree with us to dwell among us and be as one kindred: that all our males become circumcised as they are circumcised. 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.” All his fellow townsmen heeded Hamor and his son Shechem, and all males, all his fellow townsmen, were circumcised. 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. They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword, took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away. The other sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the town, because their sister had been defiled. They seized their flocks and herds and asses, all that was inside the town and outside; all their wealth, all their children, and their wives, all that was in the houses, they took as captives and booty. 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 fighters are few in number, so that if they unite against me and attack me, I and my house will be destroyed.” But they answered, “Should our sister be treated like a whore?”

This happened sometime afterward: Absalom son of David had a beautiful sister named Tamar, and Amnon son of David became infatuated with her. Amnon was so distraught because of his [half-]sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimah; Jonadab was a very clever man. He asked him, “Why are you so dejected, O prince, morning after morning? Tell me!” Amnon replied, “I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom!” Jonadab said to him, “Lie down in your bed and pretend you are sick. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in front of me, so that I may look on, and let her serve it to me.’” Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. The king came to see him, and Amnon said to the king, “Let my sister Tamar come and prepare a couple of cakes in front of me, and let her bring them to me.” David sent a message to Tamar in the palace, “Please go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.” Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was in bed. She took dough and kneaded it into cakes in front of him, and cooked the cakes. She took the pan and set out [the cakes],^-a but Amnon refused to eat and ordered everyone to withdraw. After everyone had withdrawn, Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food inside and feed me.” Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them to her brother inside. But when she served them to him, he caught hold of her and said to her, “Come lie with me, sister.” But she said to him, “Don’t, brother. Don’t force me. Such things are not done in Israel! Don’t do such a vile thing! Where will I carry my shame? And you, you will be like any of the scoundrels in Israel! Please, speak to the king; he will not refuse me to you.” But he would not listen to her; he overpowered her and lay with her by force. Then Amnon felt a very great loathing for her; indeed, his loathing for her was greater than the passion he had felt for her. And Amnon said to her, “Get out!” She pleaded with him, “Please don’t commit this wrong; to send me away would be even worse^-a than the first wrong you committed against me.” But he would not listen to her. He summoned his young attendant and said, “Get that woman out of my presence, and bar the door behind her.”— She was wearing an ornamented tunic, for maiden princesses were customarily dressed in such garments.^-c—His attendant took her outside and barred the door after her. Tamar put dust on her head and rent the ornamented tunic she was wearing; she put her hands on her head, and walked away, screaming loudly as she went. Her brother Absalom said to her, “Was it your brother Amnon who did this to you? For the present, sister, keep quiet about it; he is your brother. Don’t brood over the matter.” And Tamar remained in her brother Absalom’s house, forlorn. When King David heard about all this, he was greatly upset. Absalom didn’t utter a word to Amnon, good or bad; but Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar.

בת לאה THE DAUGHTER OF LEAH — so Scripture calls her. Why not the daughter of Jacob? But just because she “went out” she is called Leah’s daughter, since she, too, was fond “of going out” (Genesis Rabbah 80:1), as it is said (30:16) “and Leah went out to meet him”. With an allusion to her they formulated the proverb: “Like mother, like daughter”.

“God blessed them and God said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and dominate over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living creature that crawls upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28).
“And dominate over the fish of the sea” – Rabbi Ḥanina said: If they merit it, [they will] dominate [redu], but if not, they will fall [yeredu]. Rabbi Yaakov of Kefar Ḥanin said: One who fulfills “in our image, in our likeness – “And dominate”; those who do not fulfill “in our image, in our likeness” – they will fall [yeredu]. Rabbi Yaakov of Kefar Ḥanan said: Let the one who is “in our image, in our likeness” come “and dominate” the one who does not resemble being “in our image, in our likeness.”
“God blessed them” – there we learned: A virgin should marry on a Wednesday and a widow on a Thursday.” Why? It is because a blessing [for fertility] is written in connection with these days. But, is it not so, that a blessing [for fertility] is written only in connection with Thursday and Friday? Bar Kapara said: Wednesday means on the eve of Thursday, and Thursday means on the eve of Friday.
Rabbi Elazar in the name of Rabbi Yosei Ben Zimra: “[Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth] and subdue it” [vekhivshuha] – it is written [as if it should be read] vekhovshah – the man alone is commanded regarding procreation, but not the woman. Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Beroka says: Both the man and the woman [are commanded]. Regarding both of them it says: “God blessed them […and said: Be fruitful, and multiply…].”
Vekhivshuha – it is written [as if it should be read] vekhovshah – the man restrains his wife so she should not go out in public, as any woman who goes out in public will ultimately falter. From where do we derive it? It is from Dina, as it is stated: “Dina went out” (Genesis 34:1) – and she ultimately faltered. That is what is written: “Shekhem saw her…” (Genesis 34:2).
Rabbi Yirmeya, Rabbi Abahu, and Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Maryon in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Yoḥanan.

It is written (Jeremiah 50:33) "Thus said the LORD of Hosts: The people of Israel are oppressed, And so too the people of Judah etc." and it is written (ibid 34) "Their Redeemer is mighty, His name is LORD of Hosts. He will champion their cause— So as to give rest to the earth, And unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon." They said in the days of the Greeks, This verse endangers [the Jews] because it reveals a secret about Israel. They said, Come let renew upon them decrees until they have forsaken their God, and they will believe in our foreign worship. They stood up and decreed: Any Israelite who makes a latch or bolt on his door will be stabbed with they sword. (What was the reason for this [decree]? [It was] in order that there should not be honor and privacy in Israel, because any house that does not have a door has no honor or privacy. And any who wants to enter can enter whether day or night.) Since Israel saw this, they got up and removed all doors of their houses. They were unable to eat, drink or have relations, because of thieves, robbers, and Greek invaders. They did not sleep day or night. The verse was fulfilled upon them, "You will be afraid night and day" (Deuteronomy 28:66). They said before The Holy One Blessed is He (THOBH), Master of the world how much are we able to carry? He said to them, [This decree is] with the sin of Mezuzzah, but even so room was found in this decree. Israel was living without doors, and there is nothing that removes the evils of a wife from upon her husband like a door. As it says "Go my people, come into your rooms etc." (Isaiah 26:20) They endured the decree for three years. When the Greeks saw that Israel endured the decree and no one violated it in any way, they stood up and decreed another decree. They spread a rumor: Any person from Israel who has an ox or sheep, he should inscribe on its horns that it has no portion in the God of Israel. (What was the reason for this [decree]? In order that Israel would not eat meat, milk, or cheese, and they would not be able to plow.) They said we know that they cannot endure this decree. When Israel heard this they were pained a great pain. They said O mercy! that we will be atoned with our God. They stood up and sold their animals whether pure or impure, and Israel was traveling on foot. Upon them [the verse] was fulfilled, "I have seen slaves on horseback etc." (Ecclesiastes 10:7) THOBH said to them, [This decree is] with the sin that you withheld yourselves from ascending to Jerusalem on the three pilgrimage festivals, bringing the sacrifices, and giving the priestly gifts. Therefore [the verse] is fulfilled upon you "Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes" (Deuteronomy 28:31) But even so room was found in this decree. The deer, the rams and all species of pure birds were coming into and entering the houses of Israel, because they did not have doors. Israel came and grabbed them and slaughtered and ate meat. They gave praise to THOBH and they said, Blessed is he that flipped the intentions of our enemies for good. Because if their houses had doors, how could all game enter to them. THOBH answered them, You were meciful on my honor and you did not deny me, So I have prepared for you game. When the Greeks saw that Israel endured this decree, they stood up and decreed: Anyone whose wife goes to immerse herself, he will be stabbed with the sword. And the one who catches her [going to immerse] will have her as a wife and her children as slaves. When Israel saw this they refrained from having relations. When they Greeks heard this they said, since Israel is not using their beds, we will attach ourselves to them [beds]. When Israel saw this, they returned to their wives without immersion, [because] they were forced to. They said, Master of the world we are forced [to have relations] without immersion.