There’s a huge difference between feeling like you’re always on the move versus feeling cozy and at home. The first verse of this week’s parsha draws that distinction, saying that Jacob ‘dwelt’ in the land that his father had travelled in. Rabbi Akiva Naiman, the chapter director of NCSY Oakland and director of NCSY Summer
In a dramatic moment, feuding brothers Esau and Jacob reunite and greet each-other with an embrace and a kiss. In the Torah, the word 'and kissed' וַׄיִּׄשָּׁׄקֵ֑ׄהׄוּׄ is marked with dots above it, noting that we should pay special attention to the word.
Jacob has now left his father-in-law’s house and is on his way to Beersheba to the house of his father. He sends a delegation to his brother, Esau, seemingly trying to appease him, with the Esau’s promise to commit fratricide still echoing in the back of Jacob’s head. Jacob’s act of appeasement and his gesture
Jacob heeds his mother’s warning and runs away from home. In his travels eastward he journeys through what will later be Jerusalem, and camps out on the site at which the Templewould eventually be built. In his dream he is promised by God that he will be next chain in the Jewish dynasty and that
Parshat Vayetizei contains a powerful image – on a hilltop which will become the site of The Temple in Jerusalem, Yaakov, the patriarch Jacob, dreams of a ladder reaching to heaven. Up and down the ladder climb scores of angels, but what does this mystical vision mean? Rabbi Aharon Chaim Larson, an alumnus of Denver NCSY
The story of the twins – Jacob and Esau – has been deemed by many the literary prototype describing the struggle between good and evil. Jacob represents the “good”; Esau represents the “evil.” The Sages hinted to this in several places: The verse describes Rebecca’s pains during pregnancy: “And the children struggled in her womb.”
How should siblings treat each other? In this week’s parsha, Esau demands a portion of soup from his brother Jacob while the family is mourning the death of their grandfather, Abraham. By requiring this instant gratification, Esau put himself before his family, disrupting the solemn mood and eventually forsaking his status as the first-born son.
There are two main stories that are recounted to us by the Torah this week. Sarah dies, and Abraham purchases land in Hebron. He then buries her in a cave on that property. Later, Abraham sends his servant Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac, and with intricate detail we hear about Eliezer’s quest, eventually
In this week’s parsha, Abraham is seeking to make a shidduch, a match, for his son Isaac. But Abraham is not just the father of Isaac, but of monotheism as well. So he’s stuck in a bind: how does he bring a daughter-in-law into the family and make sure that his children and grandchildren join him
In this week’s reading we undergo an emotional rollercoaster. The continuity of the Jewish people is being toyed with. Abraham is promised several times that his progeny will be many: they are set to be “a great nation,” “the dust of the Earth,” and “the stars of the sky.” However, Abraham and Sarah are unable