But the thing is, Esau and Isaac were twin brothers. Maybe we were meant to learn that Jacob messed up here. Maybe this is supposed to be an object lesson.

Jacob and Esau get all the attention. Yet it’s another pair of brothers who reveal the heart of the biblical story. There are two pairs of twins in Genesis, but most of us only notice the first ...

When Jacob and Esau meet again, they are changed (Gen 33). Esau embraces his brother, kissing him and through tears. Jacob tells Esau that seeing his face is like seeing the face of God.

I was thrilled when our synagogue assigned bnei mitzvah Torah portions and our twins got "Toldot," the coming-of-age story of the first biblical twins, Jacob and Esau. Then I re-read it.

For Jacob, it’s about winning. Esau, though, grows beyond hurts large and small. He wants to share a journey with his brother. He wants to live side by side. It’s not about revenge for him.

The Janus nature of Jacob’s gift to Esau foreshadows his refusal to travel with him to Seir (Gen. 33:12-16). Perhaps this explains the modesty of Jacob that is mentioned in the next story.

Introduction The Torah relates that Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca (Genesis 25:24), went on separate paths (Genesis 25:27), Esau the hunter and Jacob the man of tents. Later ...