Uprising

It has been months since the hashtag #metoo went viral. I have been keenly aware that I have not spoken to this directly. It has been for me a painful reminder of a pervasive rape culture that no one is immune too. It has brought me back to my own experiences of "Take Back the Night." And while I keep not being surprised, the revelation of it, the visibility, is wounding unto itself. And I know from our conversations and everyone's social media, this is present and palpable within our community. 

In this week's parsha, Vayishlach, we recieve one of the most ancient stories of sexual assault. The story of Dinah. "And Dinah, the [only] daughter of Jacob and Leah, went out to see the daughters of the land" (Gen 34:1). We don't know much of her story. She does not speak out. We know she is defiled and that Jacob and his sons are horrified (34:5-7). 

The story of Dinah tells us that misogyny and sexual violence are as old as humanity. Torah's relevance is not always desirable. But it is a reflective surface for our own healing and transformation. While the men in the story are outraged, we still do not hear Dinah's voice. And her silence has been echoing across time. In response, Rabbi Annie Lewis just published this poem, entitled Uprising.

Me too, Dinah,
me too.
If only you could
see us now,
all the great men falling
like the idols of your
great, great grandfather,
egos slain
like the men of Shechem.

If only you could
see us now,
your sisters
taught to make nice,
take care –
shouting,
me too.
No more.

All your sisters trained
to harbor shame
for going out,
claiming space,
craving more.
Because we asked for it
so we deserved it.

If only you could
see us now, Dinah,
our truth
rising up like song.


I offer it has a healing salve on our own wounds and the wounds in our tradition. Thank you for everyone's courage and truth rising up like song. It is an honor to bear witness to our collective testimony and commit to uproot the source of violence within ourselves and our culture. #metoo

Tomorrow morning in the Beit Midrash we will be explore the Story of Jacob and his encounters with divine messengers. Through midrash and poetry, we will be exploring what we might learn about ourselves through our relationship to angels. 

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ari Lev

P.S. In case you can't be there, here is one beautiful Mary Oliver poem we will explore, Angels.