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Can We Be Empowered by Patriarchal Texts?

Dec 9, 2022 By Alison L. Joseph | Commentary | Vayishlah

I have long been bothered by the story of Dinah in Genesis 34. This narrative, often referred to as the 鈥淩ape of Dinah,鈥� is difficult to read, not only because sexual violence against a young woman is employed as a plot device, but also because I鈥檓 not sure why the story is included in the Torah in the first place. My concern with the story is more acute when I read it within our liturgical calendar as just another episode in the Jacob cycle (Gen. 25鈥�35).