| * | Bereishit / Summary: The saga of Jacob continues in this week's parasha. It begins with Jacob sending messengers ahead to greet his brother Esau, who swore to kill Jacob when they last parted some twenty years before. Jacob is informed that Esau has a large assembly of men coming toward Jacob, seemingly prepared for battle. Jacob responds with a three pronged strategy in preparation for the confrontation: Prayer, Diplomacy and War. But the night before he confronts his brother, Jacob spends the night wrestling with the angel and, in the end, has his name changed by God to Israel. The next morning, much to his surprise, the encounter with Esau goes peacefully, and again they part. Esau returns to Seir and Jacob settles outside of the city of Shechem. There, Jacob's daughter Dinah is raped by a prince of the town, and, in retaliation, Jacob's sons go on a violent rampage, killing the entire male population of Shechem. At the end of the portion, both Rachel and Isaac die and are buried. The parshah ends with a review of all Isaac's descendants. |