Jacob
Hear, O Israel, our father, we dedicate our lives to revealing the One in all things.
After running away from his brother Esau, Jacob marries the sisters Rachel and Leah (and their maidservants) and the twelve tribes of Israel are born. Wrestling with an angel leaves Jacob limping and with a new name – Israel. When famine strikes the land of Canaan, Jacob and the family Israel descends to Egypt, where they reunite with Joseph. Jacob lives in Egypt for seventeen years. Before his passing, Jacob calls in all the tribes, our grandparents, and blesses them to continue the legacy and purpose begun with Abraham – to turn this fragmented universe into a unified home for the Divine. In a royal funeral, Jacob is accompanied back up to Israel where he is buried in Hebron with his wife and ancestors.
The Duplicity of the Jew
The Jew dresses in Esau’s clothes, but he refuses to allow the clothes to make the man.
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Redigging the Wells of Love
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are the forefathers from whom we learn Jewish values. In Abraham we see a fountainhead of Jewish generosity and social commitment.
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Life After Life
The story of how Jacob lived, which is an eternal lesson regarding the true meaning of life.
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Life, Death and Reality
Discover a new perspective on death from the scope of spiritual reality. Learn how Torah operates within the confines of nature but is not limited by it.
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Few and Deficient
Jacob teaches us what it means to lead a righteous life; a life of purpose, altruism and compassion.
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Mixed Feelings
Jacob teaches us the proper perspective of exile; refusing to become reconciled with it or accepting it as a state that is normal or comfortable.
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Joseph’s Calf
Jacob and Joseph teach us about our responsibility for things that are in our control and even that which happens outside of our control.
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The Disposable Self
The closer one comes to G-d, the more one realizes one’s own insignificance in the face of the divine infinity.
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Double Identity
Discover how we, as Jews, contain both elements of the name Jacob and Israel. Learn about our double identity as Servants of G-d and Children of G-d.
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