This is the first time that the descendants of Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov are referred to by the name Yisroel. The reference here appears even before Yaakov’s name was officially changed by Hashem. The response of the children of Yaakov to the terrible tragedy that befell their sister emanates from a people who are already Bnei Yisroel. They already feel a part of a nation that will fight and sacrifice itself for the name of Hashem. The lofty concepts of ethics, virtue and moral dignity, are inherent in this name. It is particularly significant that the first struggle by a people for the dignity of Hashem with which the name Yisroel is connected, is in the defense of moral purity. The first mission of the Bnei Yisroel is to safeguard the concept of moral virtue.
