{"id":38922,"date":"2018-08-29T00:09:33","date_gmt":"2018-08-28T21:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=38922"},"modified":"2022-03-23T12:56:02","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T10:56:02","slug":"milimilim-the-hebrew-corner-gen-34","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/milimilim-the-hebrew-corner-gen-34\/","title":{"rendered":"MiliMiliM – The Hebrew Corner – Gen 34"},"content":{"rendered":"
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34:2-3 – Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, chief of the country, saw [Dinah], and took her and lay with her by force. <\/span>Vatidbak nafsho<\/span><\/em>, <\/span><\/i>being strongly drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and in love with the maiden, he spoke to the maiden tenderly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shechem apparently wasn\u2019t the most suave courtier: according to the story here, he bedded Dinah against her will, in a scene that will forever be known as the rape of Dinah. But, the text also makes it clear that however it began, he quickly fell for her. (Whether she ever reciprocated – or whether it was an actual rape in the first place and not just described as such to negate Dinah\u2019s possible role in the matter, and to justify the honor killings perpetrated later, are all fertile fodder for the midrashic imagination). <\/span><\/p>\n

The text says not only that he loved her, but even <\/span>vatidbak nafsho<\/span><\/em>, <\/span><\/i>that \u201chis soul clung to her.\u201d This is the same word used in Genesis 2:24 to describe the ideal relationship between a man and his spouse: \u201cHence a man leaves his father and mother <\/span>vedavak beishto<\/span><\/em>, <\/span><\/i>and clings to his wife, so that they become one flesh.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The word includes both an emotional component and a physical one, for it is also the same word that is used to describe how Ruth behaved towards Naomi: \u201c<\/span>ve-rut davka bah<\/span><\/em>, and Ruth clung to her\u201d (Ruth 1:14). As for Shechem, nothing could sound more pure and sincere.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the same way that people can cling to each other, a person can cleave to God: \u201cYou must revere the LORD your God: only Him shall you worship, <\/span>ubo tidbak<\/span><\/em>,<\/span><\/i> to Him shall you hold fast, and by His name shall you swear\u2026\u201d (Deut 10:20; see also Deut 13:5). And also in a verse known from the liturgy: <\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/i>Ve’atem hadveikim badonai<\/span><\/em>,<\/span><\/i> while you, who held fast to the LORD your God, are all alive today\u201d (Deut 4:4).<\/span><\/p>\n

The idea of a very physical clinging to God in Kabbalah and Hassidism became an entire theology known as <\/span>dveikut<\/span><\/em>, striving for a transcendent spiritual closeness with God, even a sort of <\/span>unio mystica<\/em> <\/span>with the divine. Another kabbaslitic use of this word, though in a different vein entirely, is when an evil spirit clings to a person, a sort of demonic possession, known as a <\/span>dybbuk<\/span><\/em>, made popular in the play by S. Ans-ky of that name.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another fraught, negative use in a very different context is the well-known Psalm 137 (you know, the one by Bob Marley): \u201cBy the rivers of Babylon, there we sat, sat and wept, as we thought of Zion\u2026If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither; <\/span>tidbak leshoni<\/em> <\/span>let my tongue stick to my palate if I cease to think of you\u201d (vv.1,5-6). That meaning is much closer to paralysis than transcendence. <\/span><\/p>\n

In Modern Hebrew, as with many spiritually rich traditional terms, the root has been secularized into everyday use. <\/span>Devek<\/span><\/em> is \u201cglue,\u201d <\/span>davik<\/em> <\/span>is \u201csticky,\u201d <\/span>madbeka<\/span><\/em> is a \u201csticker\u201d (though David Grossman\u2019s powerful political song, sung by Dag Nachash, where he strings together the messages and slogans of bumper stickers from right and left is called <\/span>Shirat Ha-stikker<\/span><\/em>), and the most fraught or negative form of the root is <\/span>middabek<\/span><\/em>, which also means something \u201csticky – i.e., a condition which is \u201ccontagious.\u201d Like certain pandemics of late…<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":103267,"id":103267,"title":"-62396ac4960ef--62396ac4960f1gen34-milim devek.jpg","filename":"62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/milimilim-the-hebrew-corner-gen-34\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek-jpg\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek-jpg","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":38922,"date":"2022-03-22 06:20:52","modified":"2022-03-22 06:21:13","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":960,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg-300x225.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":225,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg-768x576.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg.jpg","large-width":960,"large-height":720,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg.jpg","1536x1536-width":960,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg.jpg","2048x2048-width":960,"2048x2048-height":720,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg.jpg","post_full_size-width":960,"post_full_size-height":720,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg-560x420.jpg","home_baner-width":560,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":"

Artwork by: Ben Schachter<\/p>\n"},"tile":{"top_caption":"MiliMiliM - The Hebrew Corner","main_caption":"Chapter 34: \u05dc\u05d3\u05d1\u05d5\u05e7 - Lidbok - Cling\/Stick","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"... a word from the daily chapter...","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":103267,"id":103267,"title":"-62396ac4960ef--62396ac4960f1gen34-milim devek.jpg","filename":"62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/milimilim-the-hebrew-corner-gen-34\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek-jpg\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek-jpg","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":38922,"date":"2022-03-22 06:20:52","modified":"2022-03-22 06:21:13","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":960,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg-300x225.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":225,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg-768x576.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg.jpg","large-width":960,"large-height":720,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg.jpg","1536x1536-width":960,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg.jpg","2048x2048-width":960,"2048x2048-height":720,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg.jpg","post_full_size-width":960,"post_full_size-height":720,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/08\/62396ac4960ef-62396ac4960f1gen34-milim-devek.jpg-560x420.jpg","home_baner-width":560,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":"Robert Kneschke (shutterstock 161025986)"},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"old_create_date":"","links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38922"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38922"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38922\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103305,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38922\/revisions\/103305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}