Esau
A man of the field, a warrior, this twin fathered the western world.
Rebecca gave birth to twin boys. One yearned for the tents of spirit; the other for the coliseums of matter. Esau was born first; then tricked out of the birthright by Jacob. Esau sculpted his body, honed his sword, and lived and dies by it. Esau fathered Edom, Rome and the western world. This branch of the family tree would destroy the second temple and exile the descendents of Jacob, the children of Israel, for the past two millennia. Perhaps, today, more than in other period of world history, the offspring of Esau the warrior have begun to wipe their knives clean and embrace the children of their grandfather’s twin.
Jacob and Esau: The Battle between Good and Evil
Lessons on confrontation and peace: how to balance matter and spirit and merge the body and soul
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The Inner Struggle of Good vs. Evil: Jacob and Esau Within Us
In this week’s Torah Portion, Toldot, twins are born to Rebecca and Isaac. Esau and Jacob, two brothers with very different storylines; one a warrior, one a scholar. The battle between these two brothers is alive and kicking within each of us today.
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9/11: 13 Years Later
Learn about this historical and religious war, which must be fought with ideas, education and ideology. Discover how we can shape destiny.
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Masquerade Ball
Discover within the courage to be present; to allow the true you to emerge and express itself. Maybe it’s time to free yourself from your masks.
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Bamidbar/Shavuot: After 3336 Years How Far Are We From Sinai?
Israel is under attack, yet again. As we stand in proximity of Shavuot, when we relive the revelation at Sinai, this may be the best time to demand accountability of the Arab/Muslim world for their actions, and to call the rest of the world to demand a response.
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The Big Confrontation – Jacob & Esau Meet
Each of us must ask ourselves the question: Is my material life aligned with my spiritual one? Have I integrated what I do with who I am?
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Night Stalkers
The stranger was Esau’s guardian angel, and the battle represented the struggle between Jacob and Esau, archetypes of the two polar forces in existence which stand in perpetual battle.
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Shavuot: The Twins – Duality & Unity
The concept of duality in matters of body and spirit are examined with respect to the opposing natures of twins Jacob and Esau.
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The Dislocated Hip
By remembering Jacob’s wound we sensitize ourselves to the fact that mindless immersion in material existence touches a nerve which leaves us wounded.
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Massacre in San Bernardino
What can we do about the massacre in San Bernardino? Joseph’s clash with his brothers teaches us how to repair and heal the world. We must begin by repairing ourselves and integrating faith in our actions.
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The Plot Thickens – Jacob & Esau: Two Nations
We now have before us Abraham, father of all nations, Ishmael father of the Arab/Muslim world, Esau, father of the Roman/Christian/Western world and Jacob, father of the Jewish world.
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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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The Determined Chooser
“Choice vs. Determinism.” How much control do we really have over our actions?
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The Spiritual Meaning of Straw
Esau wished to tithe the straw of life, to attribute spiritual worth to animal fodder. Instead of exploiting the material to serve the spiritual, he wished to invest the material with a significance and value of its own, which is the spiritual meaning of straw.
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Vaeira: Why is Paris Burning?
Inside “secrets” provide perspective to current events in France — and the world — illuminating for us: why is Paris burning? Why is France, of all places, at the forefront of today’s upheavals?
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Toldot: Our Response to Tragedy
The Jewish response to a gruesome attack, is to channel all our outrage and fury into a spiritual eruption of building an even stronger Jerusalem, both physically and spiritually.
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Chayei Sarah: Can East Meet West?
Abraham surely knew how religious zealotry can breed intolerance, condescension, judgmentalism and prejudices of all sorts — feeding into the ugliest elements of human nature.
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Vayishlach: Hypocrisy
Instead of seeing hypocrisy in our inconsistencies, we should be seeing in them our struggle to discover our true selves—a struggle that inevitably creates a dichotomy between what you believe and what you do.
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Vayishlach: Giving In Difficult Times
The words of the Zohar speak for themselves. They tell us in no uncertain terms that we must stand against any voice and challenge (including economic conditions) that argues against supporting (or weakening our support of) good causes.
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The Dust of History
The cosmic struggle to reconcile spirit and matter are captured in the story of Jacob and Esau and the battle between these two opposing forces.
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Vayeitzei: Before the Battle
Jacob’s descent to Charan and subsequent struggles in Laban’s household represent our own difficulties in this world, and indicate the necessity of bringing light to the darkest places.
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Toldot: The Power of Human Exertion
Who fully grasps a concept, one who immediately comprehends it, or one who must struggle to understand it? Part five of Samech Vov discusses this question, and examines the value of human exertion.
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Bamidbar: After 3316 Years How Far Are We From Sinai?
Parshat Bamidbar: Sinai created an interface bridging heaven & earth, giving us the power to fuse matter & spirit entirely without compromising either or.
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Vayeishev: Kislev 19 in Babylon
History is a continuum. Peace in our lifetime will only be possible if we make peace with the rifts of our past, acclimating the world to our own souls.
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Pekudei: Two Faces of Esau
The story of Esau’s wedding leads to a two-faced world where some people struggle with G-d and justice while others demonstrate great pride in their faith.
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