“And Jacob was very frightened and distressed” (Breisheet 32:8). After some 22 years Yaakov Avinu is returning home. Afraid that Eisav –…
Vayishlach: Missing Motives
“The messengers returned to Yaakov with the report: We came to your brother Eisav and he is also heading towards you. He has 400 men with him” (…
VaYishlach: Do Not Fear
"Yaakov was very frightened and distressed" (Breisheet 32:8). Hearing that his brother was approaching with an army of 400 men, Yaakov was…
VaYishlach: Where Was Rivka?
One of the fascinating (and, at times, frustrating) aspects of the Torah is how much information it does not tell us. We know nothing of Abraham…
VaYishlach: The Unsung Hero
How common it is for people to return from a funeral and realize how little they knew about the deceased. All too often, it is only after a person…
VaYishlach: Alone at Night
“Therefore, the Jewish people will not eat the gid hanasheh, sciatic nerve, that is on the hip joint, to this day” (Breisheet…
Vayishlach: Jacob, the Lonely Man of Faith
Avraham Avinu is known as "ha'Ivri" as the world was on one side, and he was alone on the other. It is not easy challenging the ideas of society…
Vayishlach: Two is a Crowd
It is for good reason that co-wives are described as tzarot, literally, problems. Competing as they inevitably must for the same man, their…
VaYishlach: Changing Names
Names play a significant role in Jewish thought. A cursory glance at the names given to the twelve tribes signifies the importance of each name.…