Some siblings have a lot in common. But not Yaakov and Esav! Here’s how the Torah describes them:
וַיִּגְדְּלוּ הַנְּעָרִים
וַיְהִי עֵשָׂו אִישׁ יֹדֵעַ צַיִד אִישׁ שָׂדֶה
וְיַעֲקֹב אִישׁ תָּם יֹשֵׁב אֹהָלִים׃
וַיֶּאֱהַב יִצְחָק אֶת עֵשָׂו כִּי צַיִד בְּפִיו
וְרִבְקָה אֹהֶבֶת אֶת יַעֲקֹב׃
When the boys grew up,
Esav became a skillful hunter, a man of the outdoors;
And Yaakov was an uncomplicated man, who sat in his tent.
Yitzhak loved Esav because there was game in his mouth;
And Rivkah loved Yaakov.
- What stands out to you about these pesukim? How do you think the two pesukim connect to each other?
- Do you notice that there is a reason given for why Yitzhak loves Esav, but not for why Rivkah loves Yaakov? What do you think that could be telling us?
- Later in our parashah, Yitzhak and Rivkah have different ideas about who should get the בְּרָכָה (berakhah, blessing). (Look it up! Bereishit 27:1-10.) How do you think that connects to these pesukim?
- When you’re very different from someone (like siblings, cousins, or friends), could that lead to fighting or not getting along? How can you avoid that?
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