Set aside time to study the Torah each week to gain a better understanding of the Jewish heroes and heroines and their impact upon Jewish history.

While the story about Dinah’s abduction and rape is a tragic episode in Jewish history, there is much to be gleaned from the actions taken by her brothers, Simeon and Levi to avenge that attack. It is also important to see how their actions were perceived by the Patriarch Jacob, who refers to their attack in the blessings that he conferred upon his sons at the end of his life.

To learn more about how the actions of Simeon and Levi ultimately impacted upon their progeny, read this enlightening analysis entitled “The Proper and Improper use of Zealotry” from Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald’s Torah message for Vayishlach 5781-2020. Out of respect for Shabbat, please consider printing it on Friday afternoon if you plan to read it on Shabbat.