34 – Suggestive Acts
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בייה |
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Genesis 34 – Suggestive Acts |
Dear Friends and family, (Genesis 34) draws our attention to questions like, do some men and women dress to stir up sexual excitement? Are some clothing styles inappropriate? Do people wear clothing that reveals too much of their body? Is it sinful to accentuate certain body parts by dressing seductively? Is there such a thing as suggestive clothing? Is it likely that individuals may wear specific color combinations that identify their sexual preference or associations?
On the other hand, Ha Torah is NOT suggesting that we dress as carbon copies, look like penguins, or be extreme in our conservative apparel. Holy Scripture Teaches us to be modest with how we attire ourselves.
(Genesis 34.1 – 4) says, ‘And [69] דִינָה Dinah [בַּת־לֵאָה [438 daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see the [460] בִּבְנוֹת daughters of the land. And when [360] שְׁכֶם Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. And his soul was drawn to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke kindly to her. And Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, Get me this girl for a wife.
Did Dinah excite Shechem’s lust, thus bringing on Shechem’s attack? Perhaps. Did Dinah dress seductively? That is not likely. Did she wear inappropriate clothing? It is doubtful. Was she attempting to draw attention to herself? That would be out of character for a daughter of Israel. Yet, Each of these is possible for any of us. Still, REGARDLESS, Ha Torah teaches each of us to maintain self-control!
The Judges for the people of Shechem were required to hold Prince Shechem accountable for violating Dinah! The Seven Laws prohibit stealing, i.e., kidnapping. The men of Shechem did not insist that their judges incarcerate Prince Shechem for his violations of Ha Torah nor punish him. They intended to allow him to continue his vile acts as if nothing had happened. What do you think? Does our society have the same problems? Are we content to allow vile acts? Our Sages teach that the men of the city of Shechem were vile and evil because they would not adjudicate Shechem’s rape of Dinah. They would not charge him with a capital crime.
Some say Dinah bedecked herself and went out to mix with the other women/daughters of the community, so what is the big deal? Ha Torah says, ‘[Dinah] וַתֵּצֵא went out to see the daughters of the land.’ Dinah went out ‘to see.’ She went out alone without an escort.’ She did not have parental permission. The Letter ת Tav in the Word וַתֵּצֵא Vah Tay Tzayh points to these issues. The Letter ת Tav was added to the Word to give us a sign. The Letter ת Tav is not part of the original Word יָצָא Yaw Tzaw, so we have to explore to find out why. Ha Torah is informing us there are some places we should not go. Dinah went out ‘to see.’ What brought about trouble for Chavah? (Genesis 3.5) says, ‘And when the woman saw.’ Cell phones, computers, and television are a visual experience. We already know that, so as a reminder, we need to be careful with our visual images, even those that seem harmless. Genesis 34.2) says, ‘Shechem saw her, took her, lay with her, and defiled her.’ (Genesis 13.10) informs us about what got Lot into trouble. ‘ Lot lifted his eyes and saw the valley of the Jordan.’
Sometimes we may go a little too far in pursuing what we think is correct and harmless. Sometimes we pay a high price for what we see and then desire. Our aggressive behaviors ‘evil inclination may get the best of us occasionally. However, by learning the positive righteous influence of The Torah, God Willing will help us keep our attitudes in check. Our goal has been to show that what we see may cause complications. Perhaps we could learn a little bit from Dinah’s plusses and minuses and benefit from that.
May each of us enjoy good health, happiness, healing, restoration, and Blessing, as we study the Torah and trust in The Lord.
Good Sabbath!
Blessings,
Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk
