Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
In This Week’s Parashah: מָה בַּפָּרָשָׁה
Full Parashah Reading: Bereishit 25:19-28:9
- Rivkah becomes pregnant with twins. The twins struggle within Rivkah. God tells her this is because there are two nations within her.
- The firstborn, Esav, is reddish and covered with hair. The second, Yaakov, is born holding onto Esav’s heel. Yitzhak loves Esav, but Rivkah loves Yaakov.
- Years later, Yaakov buys the birthright from Esav and feeds him lentil stew. (The birthright refers to special privileges or responsibilities belonging to the firstborn.)
- Yitzhak goes blind. He tells Esav that he is going to give him a בְּרָכָה (berakhah, blessing).
- Rivkah hears this, but she wants Yaakov to receive the berakhah. She tells Yaakov to wear Esav’s clothes and puts goatskins on his arms, so that they would feel like Esav’s, which are hairy. Yaakov then goes to get the berakhah from Yitzhak.
- Yitzhak notices that his son sounds like Yaakov, but has the hands of Esav, and Yitzhak gives him the berakhah.
- When Esav finds out what happened, he is very upset and says he will kill Yaakov.
- Rivkah hears what Esav said, and she and Yitzhak tell Yaakov to go to Rivkah’s brother, Lavan.
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