The parashah, the Torah portion,
this week is Vayishlach. One of the narratives we find in the text
centers around the character Dinah. Dinah was the daughter of Leah and Jacob. The story of
Dinah is the story of a woman who cannot travel freely and secure because of the danger she faces as woman.
We read that Dinah arrived with her family and tribe to the city of
Shechem. She left her people to go see the women of the new
community. Traveling by herself, however, she is "taken" by a
prince of the community who rapes her. As the commentary in The Torah: A
Women's Commentary notes, the story gives no voice to Dinah. While most people have been taught that the act described in Genesis was rape, this commentary notes that her consent
in the sexual act does not matter because, as an unwed woman who lost her
virginity, she is disgraced whether she consented or not. Either way, the
loss of her virginity out of wedlock shamed and debased her in the society in which she
lived. This sexual act by the prince, whether forced or not, lowered
Dinah's status in the community. It is the same reason why Tamar, King
David's daughter, begged Amnon to marry her after he raped her in II Samuel
13. The stigma of an unwed woman in this culture losing their virginity
was so severe, it did not matter the circumstance.[1]
As we mark 16 Days of Activism Against GenderViolence the stories of Dinah and Tamar resonate. Around the
globe, there are women who live in fear because if they go out alone they risk
the threat of rape and abuse. It is the reason why, in America, our mothers, wives, sisters, partners, or female friends are
scared to walk to their cars alone at night. It is also the reason why
women in the Democratic Republic of Congo or the Sudan live in fear as more
than a thousand of them are raped a day because rape is used a tool of war and
genocide.[2] Just as
Dinah was not able to live a full free life because of the violence she faced,
so too women around the world live less than free lives, because they fear for
their physical safety. Moreover, in many societies the "cult of
virginity," persists. Women who are raped are sometimes killed by
their own relatives because of the shame they have brought upon the
family. Others are jailed for breaking a law that forbids women from fornicating
out of wedlock. Others flee home fearing for their safety should they
stay. Others are forced to marry their rapists. As long as some cultures tie women's value solely to their
chastity, rape will remain pervasively tied to conflict and warfare.[3]
Like Dinah and Tamar, women all
around the world face, not only the trauma of rape, but the trauma of
communities who blame them, may punish them, ostracize them, and force them
to live on the periphery of society despite the fact they are victims.
Lest we think this is just an old Bible story, women around the world, in your
community and mine, who are survivors of rape are stigmatized and
marginalized. While the violence and the victim-blaming look different in
every country and every culture, rape continues to be a plague which afflicts
all. It is rooted in a world society that is inherently
misogynistic. Most people are not rapists - that is true. However,
most of us promote or acquiesce to actions and beliefs that perpetuate a rape
culture. Many of us do so without thinking about this fact. Yet that does not make us less culpable.
It is sad that a Biblical story about such
horrific violence should sound so eerily modern to our ears. Let's spend
some time during these 16 Days ofActivism Against Gender
Violence to focus on the terrible act of rape. I would urge
everyone to visit the UN's organization Stop Rape Now as well as the International Campaign to Stop Rape
& Gender Violence in Conflict. Read more, explore the
issue, and take action to find ways you can get
involved. While this is a world issue, it is also a local issue,
and you can find ways to take action in your community.
This Shabbat we will read
Vayishlach. We will hear the story about Dinah wherein she is denied a
voice. Let's continue to educate ourselves and our communities.
Let's continue to work to ensure that all women's voices are heard. Let's
pray and work for the day when women can walk the world without having to fear
for their personal safety: when none shall make them afraid!
We at Reyut wish you a Shabbat
Shalom,
Ari and Sari
[1] Eskenazi, Tamara Cohn,
and Andrea L. Weiss. 2008. The Torah: a women's commentary. New York:
Women of Reform Judaism, Federation of Temple Sisterhood.
[2]
Women Forging a New Security: Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict – Nobel
Women’s Initiative http://nobelwomensinitiative.org/2012/01/conference-report-women-forging-a-new-security-ending-sexual-violence-in-conflict/
[3] Kristof, Nicholas D.,
and Sheryl WuDunn. 2009. Half the sky: turning oppression into opportunity
for women worldwide. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
No comments:
Post a Comment