In Israel and the world over we are mourning the loss of innocent and wonderful Jews. Children and teenagers are cut down by forces of evil. The tragedies are at times unspeakable. How can we respond? Esau anguished Yaakov in injuring his thigh. Esau's descendants...
There were times that the Jews were attacked by an Esav who murdered and robbed. There were times when Jews had to resist the lure of pagan glamour. There were times when Esav came with scholarship and with ministerial robes and there were times that Esav spoke of love, caring and a yearning to show us a better way to heaven. All the Esav’s of history had one thing in common. They endeavored to stop the Jews from leading their own unique spiritual life and have them abandon their nationalistic aspirations. Somehow we have survived them all.
Lately, I’ve been intrigued by the struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, Yaakov and Esav. The actual struggle between these two brothers became the prototype of the Jewish struggle with myriads of outside forces and enemies that wanted to destroy us....
In this week's parsha we read about the fateful meeting between Jacob and Esau. Jacob, on learning that Esau is approaching with four hundred men, "was very afraid and distressed" (Gen. 32:8), fearing that Esau might want to kill him for his previous behavior over the...
Will he flourish in solitude or perish in loneliness? Language has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone, and the word solitude to express the glory of being alone. After many years of sidestepping, Yaakov was on his way to a reunion with his...
The very act of bowing before Hashem is to invite and make room for G-d in our lives Yaakov was about to encounter his enemy. He was also about to encounter his brother. His enemy had vowed to kill him. His brother was his twin who nursed with him from their holy...
If I wasn't afraid, if I wasn't lazy, if I wasn't concerned about kavod what would I do? Yaakov's name means crooked. The word "Akov" means insidious. Esav defined his brother Yaakov's essence according to his name. He is deviant, perverse, corrupt and crooked. "That...
The final battle is the battle of synergy for us, and Tikun Olam for the world at large.
The nations of the world call us Yaakov but the truth is that we are Yisroel.