Summary
The family embarks on the journey to Canaan with their
belongings and animals in tow. They find Inna, the midwife, sitting
by the side of the road. She says that she is too old to lose her
apprentice Rachel and would like to join their family in the journey.
She offers her possessions in exchange for their protection and
offers to act as their chief healer and servant. Jacob accepts,
and the family is pleased to have the healer join them.
After several days, Dinah becomes accustomed to traveling. They
come to a wide river. Though Dinah has never seen a river before,
she feels inextricably drawn to it. She savors the smell and daydreams
by the water as the meals are prepared. The next morning, they each
cross the river, guiding the animals. Dinah is entranced by the
water and floats through it, dragged by Judah’s hand. Zilpah pronounces
her a child of water and tells her that she will only be happy living
by a river. Dinah spends the journey wandering among the caravan
with her spindle, gathering herbs, and watching her family. She
notes how differently Jacob treats his wives. He discusses food
and plans with Leah, shares personal stories with Rachel, offers
silent acknowledgments to Zilpah, and caresses Bilhah. She notices
that Reuben and Bilhah frequent walk together.
One day, Dinah hears the angry voice of her grandfather,
Laban. He has come for his teraphim, which he is convinced Jacob
has stolen. Jacob tells Laban to search the tents. He does so, even
entering the red tent where the women sit during the new moon. When
he enters, Rachel boldly confesses that she took the idols and has
been sitting on them during her menstruation. She tells him that
their magic has been turned against him and Laban leaves the tent.
He says nothing to Jacob, and they part ways swearing peace to each other.
The next day, Jacob feels eager to move on and the women
dismantle the red tent and continue the journey. Jacob begins to
dwell on memories of his brother Esau. Fear grows within him, and
he begins to worry that Esau will not embrace him and his family
when they appear but will slaughter them instead. They encounter another
river. Jacob sends his family and herd across, declaring that he
will stay behind alone and cross early the next morning. The next morning,
Jacob does not appear, and Reuben, Simon, and Judah cross back to
find him. They find Jacob beaten and naked in a clearing nearby.
Inna attends to his broken leg and fever. Jacob slowly begins to
heal while the family stays by the river for two months. As he recovers,
his fears of his brother grow even stronger and he can speak of
nothing else.
Analysis
On the road, Dinah begins to realize the strength and
power of Jacob’s family and begins to understand her own status
within it. They are an impressive group, with eleven strong sons
and a herd of healthy animals. Because they have lived in a remote
location for so long, Dinah has not thought much about her extended
family, but along the road she hears stories about her uncle Esau
and his wives and children, her grandmother Rebecca, the Oracle
at Mamre, and her legendary grandfather Isaac. Away from the familiarity
of her home, Dinah’s eyes open to the outside world as she hears
stories about her famous grandmother’s powers and the prosperity
of her uncle. As the only daughter of Jacob, the blessed son of
Rebecca and Isaac, she has special status in the family. She develops
a sense of self-awareness, realizing that her world is growing and
that she is a piece in a much larger puzzle than she had previously
believed.
The journey to Canaan parallels Dinah’s journey toward
womanhood. As a girl, she spent very little time around the men
in her family, as they were secluded in the pastures all day tending
to the animals. Now she watches them, noticing their differences
and similarities and their alliances and enemies. For the first
time, she begins to see them as men and realizes that they will
soon be taking wives. Since she has never witnessed much interaction
between her father and her mothers, particularly all together, she
takes careful notice of his attempts to keep them happy. Jacob has
established a different relationship with each woman and communicates
with each of them on different levels. As she observes the changing
landscape, the rivers, and the other travelers, she learns that
her mothers are no longer the center of the universe and her brothers
are not the only men, and she enters adolescence.
