How many steps must we take to confront power with truth? In Joseph’s case, after two years in prison, he is suddenly released to come into Pharaoh’s presence to interpret his dreams. There were seventy steps leading up to the throne, each one representing a different culture and language. Since few people knew more than…
One of the striking aspects of all of our Torah ancestors is their acknowledged failures in their characters. This makes them human and allows us to realize that even those we deeply admire have weaknesses, just like we do. So we can strive to improve without reaching for perfection. They certainly weren’t perfect and yet made great contributions. Here…
Who was the being that Jacob wrestled through the night into the dawn? Some sages say it was Jacob’s brother Esau’s angel. Esau had gathered a group to wreak revenge on his brother. Others say it was a messenger (the translation of the Hebrew malak which is the word used in Torah) from Hashem challenging the faith…
One Midrash on this parsha has a surprising twist on the angels that ascended and descended on the ladder during Jacob’s “dream.” As the 12 rocks he placed under his head supposedly stones from the altar on which his father was almost sacrificed, these twelve suggesting his twelve sons and the tribes to then emerge…
This midrash is the well-known telling that when Rebecca, Isaac’s wife, was pregnant with twins, they struggled inside her. One was to be Esau and he was captivated by the gross and idolatry. The other was to be Jacob the fzorbearer of the Israeli peoples. Inside her womb, when they passed various structures, Esau, who…