Esau was born with a full coat of hair, Jacob was born clutching his brother's heel.. What is the significance of this bizarre appearance?   more »

Did you know that our patriarchs were devoted well diggers? Imagine digging for hours or even days on end, with no visible success. You dig thirty meters and find only soil and rock. You wonder about your prospects. You wonder if your efforts are in vain.   more »

We are told that Esau, the older brother, physically mature at birth. The Hebrew name Esav means ?finished?, or complete, indicating that he completed his growth process. Jacob, the second son, emerged in hot pursuit with his tiny hand tightly clasping his brother?s heel. The name Yaakov is the Hebrew word for ?heel? indicating that he maintained a tight grip on the heels of he who came before him.   more »

The ethos of the words, told to our Matriarch Rivkah with regards to her sons, echo across generations with the clarity of prophetic vision. Every Jew struggles with the balance of a strange duality, Esau versus Jacob, good versus evil, selfishness versus selflessness.   more »

Our Pasha extols the virtues of Avraham by stating "He kept my charge, my commandments my decrees and my laws." The great Commentator Rashi, (Shlomo Yitzchaki, Scholar and author, eleventh century France) explained that Avraham kept all the commandments that were later given at Sinai, including even the minute details, as well as the decrees that defy understanding, and the rabbinical injunctions.

Does everyone agree?   more »