“and his eleven sons...” (32:23)
In his confrontation with Eisav, Yaakov’s children are mentioned, but Yaakov’s daughter Dina is not. The Midrash teaches that Yaakov concealed Dina in order to prevent Eisav from having any aspirations of marrying her. However, since she might have been a good influence on Eisav, Yaakov was punished for his actions.
In last week’s parsha, Leah is described as having “unattractive eyes” The Talmud questions why the Torah would make a deprecating statement regarding one of the Matriarchs. The answer given is that Leah’s eyes were affected by her constant weeping over the prospect of having to marry Eisav. Therefore, this description shows a positive quality within Leah. Why is Leah’s aversion to marrying Eisav praised, while Yaakov’s actions to prevent Dina from marrying Eisav are condemned?
It is clear from Yitzchak’s desire to bestow the blessings on Eisav that Eisav possessed talents and abilities necessary for the survival of Bnei Yisroel. Since Eisav’s intended soulmate was Leah, Divine providence arranged that many of Eisav’s positive qualities would enter Bnei Yisroel through her. However, Eisav’s actions made it impossible for him to marry Leah, for marrying her would have given him a Patriarchal position, making him the father of the Tribes. Therefore, Leah crying over the prospect of marrying Eisav, thereby conferring upon him a Patriarchal position in Bnei Yisroel, is commendable, for she understood that this would be destructive to the fledgling nation in its inception.
However, once all the Patriarchs and Tribes had been configured, Eisav’s inclusion in Bnei Yisroel could have been tolerated and controlled. Dina, who possessed her mother’s abilities to be assertive and direct her husband’s energies, would have made a perfect mate for Eisav. She would have been able to allow Eisav’s talents to be completely incorporated into Bnei Yisroel. Therefore, Yaakov’s actions to prevent Dina from marrying Eisav are condemned.
