Math Baby
I was going over the leining on Wedsnesday night, and I one of the things I was leining was the story of Dina and Sh'chem (Dina, Ya'akov's daughter, got raped by Sh'chem. As punishment, the brothers went through the city took everything, and Shim'on and Leivi killed everybody. Ya'akov was not pleased. Look at perek 34 for more details). I got to the passuk (verse) of "...ushinei b'nei Ya'akov Shim'on veLeivi achei Dina ish charbo vagomer--...and 2 of the sons of Ya'akov, Shim'on & Leivi, brothers of Dina, man of the sword etc." When I got to the word "ish--man" I remembered the medrash that says that Leivi was only 13 years old (that, because it would't call him a man if he wasn't even 13 yet). It's funny, I don't know about anyone else, but when I would learn Tanach, I never really thought of ages and all that in my mind. Like, when I would think of it, I'd just think of people, going through the city and killing everybody. But then this medrash says, he was only 13 years old, and you think, woah, that's young. Anyway, 2 seconds after this, I realized that Dina was only, at oldest, 5 years old.
Now you ask, wait, it's only a medrash, you don't have to believe every medrash. The Rambam says that if you do, you are a fool. Well, ladies and gentlemen, this one you can believe. Ok, math time: We know that Ya'akov was away from home for 22 years; 20 years at Lavan, and 1 1/2 - 2 years traveling (saying 22 years the commentators probably just round up). The first 7 years at Lavan's house, he was working, and only then did he marry Leah, had 7 Brachos, then after that married Rachel and worked 7 years again. But right after that, BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM the Torah lists the births of Reu'ven, Shim'on, Leivi, and Yehuda all in a row (keep in mind, marriage is in year 7 of 22, namely, 15 years left of the 22 years). Then things happen, more kids are born, like Dan, Naftali, Gad, Asher, Yissachar and Zevulun. And only then is Dina born, then Yoseif. We have one assumtion here: that all of these birthas happen pretty much once a year--if any of the shevatim were twins we would know, either by the Torah saying so, or by the rabbis (medrash, gemara, etc. unless there is something which I've never heard before which is likely, but here I doubt it). Sh'chem rapes Dina right when they get into Eretz Yisrael, because Binyamin isn't born yet, which means Rachel is still alive; meaning that it is within those 22 years. If you do the math, one kid per year, you'd come out with the result that the oldest Dina could be is 5, which makes this episode even more disturbing.
So then why does the Torah say that Dina is a na'arah (which implies over 12 years old)earlier in the paragraph? Well, you could just say that just like Rivkah was 3 and was doing all that stuff for Eli'ezer, watering the camels and whatever, she was mature like a na'arah (which you can't say for Leivi because, again, the math works perectly. Although that would be AWESOME--a 6 year old destroying a city).
Now you ask, wait, it's only a medrash, you don't have to believe every medrash. The Rambam says that if you do, you are a fool. Well, ladies and gentlemen, this one you can believe. Ok, math time: We know that Ya'akov was away from home for 22 years; 20 years at Lavan, and 1 1/2 - 2 years traveling (saying 22 years the commentators probably just round up). The first 7 years at Lavan's house, he was working, and only then did he marry Leah, had 7 Brachos, then after that married Rachel and worked 7 years again. But right after that, BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM the Torah lists the births of Reu'ven, Shim'on, Leivi, and Yehuda all in a row (keep in mind, marriage is in year 7 of 22, namely, 15 years left of the 22 years). Then things happen, more kids are born, like Dan, Naftali, Gad, Asher, Yissachar and Zevulun. And only then is Dina born, then Yoseif. We have one assumtion here: that all of these birthas happen pretty much once a year--if any of the shevatim were twins we would know, either by the Torah saying so, or by the rabbis (medrash, gemara, etc. unless there is something which I've never heard before which is likely, but here I doubt it). Sh'chem rapes Dina right when they get into Eretz Yisrael, because Binyamin isn't born yet, which means Rachel is still alive; meaning that it is within those 22 years. If you do the math, one kid per year, you'd come out with the result that the oldest Dina could be is 5, which makes this episode even more disturbing.
So then why does the Torah say that Dina is a na'arah (which implies over 12 years old)earlier in the paragraph? Well, you could just say that just like Rivkah was 3 and was doing all that stuff for Eli'ezer, watering the camels and whatever, she was mature like a na'arah (which you can't say for Leivi because, again, the math works perectly. Although that would be AWESOME--a 6 year old destroying a city).
posted by Karban Nesanel at 23:54
5 Comments:
i'm tired, so my math might be off, but if the shevatim were all born after six months (i think there's an opinion that says that), would dinah be older than 5?
Whoa...so many words! :)
Yes, Levi is about 13 - i've heard that somewhere, but don't remember. i am impressed by your math skills.
Also... he might have been 13, but look at the other ages in TN"CH that never made sense. Yitzchak was 30, still living @ home @ the time of the Akeida. Chana brought Shmuel to the Azara @ 3. He never left until he died. David HaMelech fought in his last war when he was 60-something. Avraham was 140-160-ish @ the Akeidah. He himself was 99 @ his Brit.
rik...yes that would make her older than 5.
hinda...uh huh.
raanan...ive always been good at math BH.
and i know about thses weird ages, its really cool. and avraham was 137 at the akeida, yitzchak was 37. yaakov was 62 when he let home and still not married.
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