Rashi comments: “And was she not the daughter of Yaakov? However because of her going forth she was called the daughter of Leah, since Leah was also one who went out, as it is stated “and Leah went out to greet him.”
Rashi mentions the Midrash which relates Dinah’s “going out” to that she was Leah’s daughter. When Leah went out to greet Yaakov there was a tinge of immodesty in this “going out”, which reflected itself in her daughter’s “going out.” There is a lesson to be derived from this Midrash.
We see that the actions of parents, even when trivial, sometimes leave a lasting impression on their children. The dictum of “do as I say, not as I do” does not work. Parents’ deviation from Torah laws not only weakens their own faith but also causes confusion among their children. We see also that when children follow in their parents’ “footsteps”, they will tend to “outdo” their parents.
