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According to Legends of the Jews, he was just waiting for Joseph to be born so he could finally head home. Why? Because Jacob had a sense – a ruach hakodesh, a holy spirit – that J...
Jacob, after years of working for Laban, finally asked for something concrete as payment: he wanted all the speckled and spotted goats, and the black sheep. Sounds fair. Laban, alw...
The trickster uncle. Father to both Leah and Rachel, Jacob's wives. And in this story, he's about to confront Jacob in a big way. Imagine this: Jacob has finally left Laban's house...
We pick up the story after Jacob, urged by his mother Rebekah, has just received Isaac's blessing, a blessing meant for his brother, Esau. The text tells us, "And when Jacob heard ...
According to Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg, naturally drawing on earlier Midrashic sources), things were still pretty tense. See, Jacob, ever the strategist, tried to make a deal w...
Jacob wasn't just praying for himself. According to Legends of the Jews, he was also pleading for the future of his descendants, that they wouldn't be wiped out by Esau's line. Tal...
The story goes that after Jacob finished praying – really pouring his heart out, connecting with the Divine – he got down to brass tacks. He started organizing. See, Jacob was no f...
He wasn't just miffed at his brother Jacob. He was incandescent with rage. Remember, Jacob had received the blessings meant for Esau, and Esau wasn't about to let that go. He wante...
Our story today dives right into that murky territory, exploring the story of Shechem, the son of Hamor, and his burning desire for Dinah, Jacob's daughter. We last left off with S...