Vayishlach 5772

“And Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to look about among the daughters of the land.” (Bereishis 34:1)

This verse introduces the heartbreaking story of Dinah’s abduction and the slaughter of the city of Shechem by her brothers, Shimon and Levi. The Chasam Sofer observes that the initial letters of this verse’s first four words, in the original Hebrew, of course, spell the Hebrew word לבדו backwards*. This would not be noteworthy except for the fact that this very same word appears earlier in the Parsha. In recounting the prelude to Yaakov’s battle with the angelic prince of Esav, the Torah tells us that Yaakov was completely alone – לבדו! What could be the significance of this curious juxtaposition?

“Said Rabbi Berechia in the name of Rabbi Simon, “There is none like the Lord, O Yeshurun,” (Devarim 33:26). This verse can be understood as saying, “There is none who resembles the Lord,” but if there is anyone who resembles the Lord, it is Yeshurun/Yaakov. Regarding the Lord it is written, “Hashem shall be exalted alone (לבדו) on that day,” (Yeshaya 2:11); regarding Yaakov it is written, “And Yaakov remained alone (לבדו),” (Bereishis 32:24).” (Midrash Rabba, Bereishis 77:1)

From this Midrash we discover that the application of this specific word to Yaakov is not meant merely to convey the fact of Yaakov’s physical isolation but rather to ascribe to him some Divine attribute. To understand the true significance of this, we must first examine the contest between Yaakov and the angel.

It is obvious that any battle between an angel and a human being is “fixed” by definition. The power level of an angel is determined by Hashem; at will he can endow the angel with so much energy that it could crush any opponent or so little energy that any opponent could crush it. So the fight was not really a fight in the conventional sense at all.

Rather, Ramban explains, that episode was in actuality a prophetic message designed to apprise Yaakov of the ultimate outcome of the Yaakov/Esav conflict. The dislocation of the thigh, being adjacent to the reproductive organs, was meant to symbolize a flaw in Yaakov’s descendants, namely their susceptibility to forced apostasy. In fact, over the generations, this has been the bitter experience of the Jewish people. In the lands of the dispersion we have suffered repeated attempts to break our resolve to maintain our faith and religious practice.

Yaakov himself, however, was apparently immune. Why?

We may suggest that the danger of religious coercion is reduced when the object of that effort is confident and secure in his beliefs. When he seeks validation from and acceptance by the surrounding peoples, he is most at risk. To be לבדו/alone means to be self-validating. Yaakov, sharing this quality with Hashem himself, was safe; his children not quite so.

Dinah, in going out to see what the neighboring girls were doing, was the opposite of לבדו. In seeking to learn their ways, she was opening herself to alien influences and the desire to seek the approval of those whose values were antithetical to those of her own and her family. The breakdown of the protective barriers creates unforeseen dangers and, in this instance, the consequences were catastrophic.

*(ותצא דינה בת לאה)