Post by alon on May 14, 2022 6:31:12 GMT -8
This Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Genesis 33:18-35:8
Haftara- Nahum 1:12-2:5
D’rash:
Genesis 34:1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her.
The tribe of Ya’aqov (as had Avraham and Yitz’chaq) had went to great lengths in order to remain separate from others, even from his own brother Essay’s clan. So it bodes ill when Dinah goes to visit “the women of the land.” To us this doesn’t sound so bad, however even today much of the trouble we bring upon ourselves is through being where we shouldn’t. While that should never excuse rape, she was dealing with a pagan culture which had far different values, mores, and expectations. And in that time a woman alone should never happen unless she was of questionable character. Some may argue it should never be that way; I am saying that is just the way it was, and to an extent even is- and opinions on what should be matter not one iota! It just is.
So right after Ya’aqov (if somewhat treacherously again) separates from Esav, here is another threat developing to his family. And as we will see it is a serious one:
Genesis 34:13-16 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. Only on this condition will we agree with you—that you will become as we are by every male among you being circumcised. Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will dwell with you and become one people.
This speaks of a major step in ritual conversion. However:
Genesis 34:21-24 “These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become one people—when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. Will not their livestock, their property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us.” And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
The Cana’anites wanted to absorb Yisro’el into their culture in order to obtain their wealth and the blessings God bestowed on them. Their proposed circumcision had nothing to do with a change of heart, or with repentance for the vile act done by Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite; nothing to do with conversion to worship of El Elohe Yisroel. Therefore the marriage could not take place, nor could the two tribes intermarry later. So the deceit worked both ways here.
This is a major mistake the church today makes. They demand a Jew coming to faith in Yeshua be grafted into Christianity, when according to Rav Shaul it is we Gentiles who are grafted into Torah and onto the cultivated olive tree of Yisroel. Our mistake as Meshiachim is too often to treat Christians as we will see the sons of Ya’aqov treat the Hitites. If a Christian is truly seeking the God of Yisro’el, then they are in a different place than that of these Cana’anites.
Genesis 34:25-27 On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males. They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem's house and went away. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.
Some call this murder and theft, however the land and its inhabitants were given to Yisro’el. That they were outsmarted and no Hebrews died is a good thing. Had they actually converted to worship of El Elohe Yisro’el, it would have been a different matter. However Shechem would have still been held to account for what he had done; quite possibly as would later be prescribed in Dut 22:28-29.
We are not told whether Dinah had stayed with Shechem willingly or if she was being held hostage. It is possible she had stayed, either out of shame or because her prospects for marriage to another were now not good. Either way she was taken by her brothers and Shechem killed.
Genesis 34:30-31 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.” But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
Apparently Ya’aqov had not agreed to this course of action. However it should be noted that it was in agreement with biblical principle; namely that the punishment should fit the crime:
Deuteronomy 19:16-21 If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Given the treachery of Shechem, a prince of the Hitites who would see the people of God absorbed into his own, and his and Hamor’s focus on material wealth, the killing and plunder of the Hitites was a very just punishment indeed.
Genesis 35:1,5 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” … And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
As usual, the fears of Ya’aqov proved to be unfounded, as God was with him.
Genesis 35:2-4 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.
Apparently idolatry, as it so often does had crept into the tribe headed now by Ya’aqov; the people of God. This possibly came about by the absorption of the Hivite women (and even the children) who had not been killed. It also may have been they inquired of the gods of the land: “When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’” Deu 12:29-30.
In that time, lands were understood to have gods attached to them to rule over them (as opposed to today when we, in our vast treasure of knowledge actually understand nothing). This was (and still is) a powerful draw on the hearts and minds of people.
Mekorot: All scripture from the ESV; Complete Jewish Study Bible; my father and others
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Gen 35:9-36:43
Haftara- Is 43:1-7
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
Parashah- Genesis 33:18-35:8
Haftara- Nahum 1:12-2:5
D’rash:
Genesis 34:1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her.
The tribe of Ya’aqov (as had Avraham and Yitz’chaq) had went to great lengths in order to remain separate from others, even from his own brother Essay’s clan. So it bodes ill when Dinah goes to visit “the women of the land.” To us this doesn’t sound so bad, however even today much of the trouble we bring upon ourselves is through being where we shouldn’t. While that should never excuse rape, she was dealing with a pagan culture which had far different values, mores, and expectations. And in that time a woman alone should never happen unless she was of questionable character. Some may argue it should never be that way; I am saying that is just the way it was, and to an extent even is- and opinions on what should be matter not one iota! It just is.
So right after Ya’aqov (if somewhat treacherously again) separates from Esav, here is another threat developing to his family. And as we will see it is a serious one:
Genesis 34:13-16 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. Only on this condition will we agree with you—that you will become as we are by every male among you being circumcised. Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will dwell with you and become one people.
This speaks of a major step in ritual conversion. However:
Genesis 34:21-24 “These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become one people—when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. Will not their livestock, their property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us.” And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
The Cana’anites wanted to absorb Yisro’el into their culture in order to obtain their wealth and the blessings God bestowed on them. Their proposed circumcision had nothing to do with a change of heart, or with repentance for the vile act done by Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite; nothing to do with conversion to worship of El Elohe Yisroel. Therefore the marriage could not take place, nor could the two tribes intermarry later. So the deceit worked both ways here.
This is a major mistake the church today makes. They demand a Jew coming to faith in Yeshua be grafted into Christianity, when according to Rav Shaul it is we Gentiles who are grafted into Torah and onto the cultivated olive tree of Yisroel. Our mistake as Meshiachim is too often to treat Christians as we will see the sons of Ya’aqov treat the Hitites. If a Christian is truly seeking the God of Yisro’el, then they are in a different place than that of these Cana’anites.
Genesis 34:25-27 On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males. They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem's house and went away. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.
Some call this murder and theft, however the land and its inhabitants were given to Yisro’el. That they were outsmarted and no Hebrews died is a good thing. Had they actually converted to worship of El Elohe Yisro’el, it would have been a different matter. However Shechem would have still been held to account for what he had done; quite possibly as would later be prescribed in Dut 22:28-29.
We are not told whether Dinah had stayed with Shechem willingly or if she was being held hostage. It is possible she had stayed, either out of shame or because her prospects for marriage to another were now not good. Either way she was taken by her brothers and Shechem killed.
Genesis 34:30-31 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.” But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
Apparently Ya’aqov had not agreed to this course of action. However it should be noted that it was in agreement with biblical principle; namely that the punishment should fit the crime:
Deuteronomy 19:16-21 If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Given the treachery of Shechem, a prince of the Hitites who would see the people of God absorbed into his own, and his and Hamor’s focus on material wealth, the killing and plunder of the Hitites was a very just punishment indeed.
Genesis 35:1,5 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” … And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
As usual, the fears of Ya’aqov proved to be unfounded, as God was with him.
Genesis 35:2-4 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.
Apparently idolatry, as it so often does had crept into the tribe headed now by Ya’aqov; the people of God. This possibly came about by the absorption of the Hivite women (and even the children) who had not been killed. It also may have been they inquired of the gods of the land: “When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’” Deu 12:29-30.
In that time, lands were understood to have gods attached to them to rule over them (as opposed to today when we, in our vast treasure of knowledge actually understand nothing). This was (and still is) a powerful draw on the hearts and minds of people.
Mekorot: All scripture from the ESV; Complete Jewish Study Bible; my father and others
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Gen 35:9-36:43
Haftara- Is 43:1-7
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot