This week's parsha opens with a description of the damaged relationship of Yakov and Esav and the attempts made in order to repair the relationship between the two. As a part of an attempt to improve the relationship with his brother, Yakov sends many gifts of livestock, delivered by his servants with strict instructions of how to present the gifts. Yakov is pedantic, emphasising that the servants should know who they serve, their purpose and what lies ahead. The verse reads:

This week's parsha houses the classic story of Jacob's dream and the angels that went up and down the ladder: וַיִּפְגַּ֨ע בַּמָּק֜וֹם וַיָּ֤לֶן שָׁם֙ כִּי־בָ֣א הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח֙ מֵאַבְנֵ֣י הַמָּק֔וֹם וַיָּ֖שֶׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו וַיִּשְׁכַּ֖ב בַּמָּק֥וֹם הַהֽוּא׃ וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֗ם וְהִנֵּ֤ה סֻלָּם֙ מֻצָּ֣ב אַ֔רְצָה וְרֹאשׁ֖וֹ מַגִּ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמָ֑יְמָה וְהִנֵּה֙ מַלְאֲכֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֔ים עֹלִ֥ים וְיֹרְדִ֖ים בּֽוֹ׃ He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the

The parasha opens with the story of Yaakov and Esav in the womb and God informing Rivkah that “two nations are in your womb, two separate peoples shall issue from your body; One people shall be mightier than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.” Although we are familiar with the story let us think momentarily about the implications of this story for both Yaakov and Esav. Embedded in God's explanation of the two future nations that Rivkah is housing is a declarati

The parsha opens with the death of Sarah and Avraham’s acquisition of a plot of land in order to bury her. The story explains that despite the locals being willing to give up a plot of land for free, Avraham was insistent on paying, eventually paying 300 shekels to the merchant Ephron. Avraham then buries his wife in the Mearat Machpela. The notion of ownership is an interesting one: “unlike possession, ownership is not easily defined in physical terms. Possession we can defi