Parshat Vayetzei

1,614 related texts · Page 48 of 180

Jacob's dream of the ladder to heaven, his years working for Laban, his marriages to Rachel and Leah, and the birth of the twelve tribes. Genesis 28:10-32:3.

World to Come and Jacob

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:172

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...

PatriarchsJosephTorahEgypt

Jacob Among the Fathers and Esau

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:175

But then, his messengers return with chilling news. They deliver Esau's message, but it's not exactly a warm welcome. They also warn Jacob that Esau is marching toward him with an ...

PatriarchsRepentanceHoly Land

Esau: Jacob and the Patriarchs

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:177

Talk about stressful family dynamics! According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Louis Ginzberg, Jacob's wives, seeing his distress, started to bicker and blame him for uprooti...

PatriarchsMosesTorahSinai

Jacob's Prayer and Esau

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:180

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...

PatriarchsPrayer

Jacob's Prayer of Esau

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:182

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...

PatriarchsPrayer

Jacob and the Patriarchs of Esau

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:200

The story of Jacob and his reunion with his brother Esau offers a powerful glimpse into just that kind of devotion. We all know the story: Jacob, after years of estrangement, is pr...

PatriarchsMatriarchsJosephShabbat

Jacob's Transgression and Blessings

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:201

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...

PatriarchsJoseph

Esau: Jacob Among the Fathers

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:204

After years of estrangement, Jacob, returning to his homeland, prepares for his reunion with his brother Esau. He sends messengers ahead, laden with gifts, hoping to appease Esau's...

Patriarchs

Wisdom of Jacob and Shechem

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:212

The story of Jacob arriving in Shechem in the Book of Genesis (Gen. 33:18-20) gives us a glimpse into that idea. But the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, expanded the narrative in...

HeavenPatriarchsTempleSabbath