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Bereshit
Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4–36:43)
Jacob prepares to face Esau after years of estrangement: he sends conciliation gifts, divides his camp, and prays for protection. Alone at night, Jacob wrestles with a mysterious being until dawn, earning a new name—Israel, “one who wrestles with God”—and a limp that marks the struggle. The reunion surprises with grace: Esau embraces him, and though Jacob declines to travel together, he builds an altar upon arriving safely in the land.
Tension soon returns in Shechem, where Dinah is violated by the local prince; her brothers Simeon and Levi respond with deadly deceit, and Jacob fears the fallout. God directs Jacob back to Bethel, where the family discards foreign gods, and the covenant is reaffirmed. Along the road, losses and transitions shape the family: Deborah (Rebecca’s nurse) dies; Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin; Reuben sins with Bilhah; the twelve sons are listed; and Isaac dies at 180, buried by Esau and Jacob together. The portion closes with Esau’s generations and the rise of Edomite chiefs and kings. Themes to listen for: the work of reconciliation after harm, wrestling toward a truer name, the moral cost of vengeance, and how grief, gratitude, and covenant keep the family moving forward.