Study Desk

Please! Rescue me from my brother ‘Esav! I'm afraid of him, afraid he'll come and attack me, without regard for mothers or children.

(ii) He stayed there that night; then he chose from among his possessions the following as a present for ‘Esav his brother:

and you are to add, ‘And there, just behind us, is your servant Ya‘akov.'" For he said, "I will appease him first with the present that goes ahead of me; then, after that, I will see him myself — and maybe he will be friendly toward me."

‘Esav replied, "I have plenty already; my brother, keep your possessions for yourself."

So please accept the gift I have brought you, for God has dealt kindly with me and I have enough." Thus he urged him, until he accepted it.

‘Esav replied, "Then let me leave with you some of the people I have with me." But Ya‘akov said, "There's no need for my lord to be so kind to me."

Ya‘akov went on to Sukkot, where he built himself a house and put up shelters for his cattle. This is why the place is called Sukkot [shelters].

From the sons of Hamor Sh'khem's father he bought for one hundred pieces of silver the parcel of land where he had pitched his tent.

Sh'khem spoke with his father Hamor and said, "Get this girl for me; I want her to be my wife."

and intermarry with us: give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.

Then we'll give our daughters to you, and we'll take your daughters for ourselves, and we'll live with you and become one people.

"These people are peaceful toward us; therefore let them live in the land and do business in it; for, as you can see, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives for ourselves, and we'll give them our daughters.

Then the sons of Ya‘akov entered over the dead bodies of those who had been slaughtered and plundered the city in reprisal for defiling their sister.

While she was undergoing this hard labor, the midwife said to her, "Don't worry, this is also a son for you."

For their possessions had become too great for them to live together, and the countryside through which they were traveling couldn't support so much livestock.

Magdi'el and ‘Iram. These were the chieftains of Edom according to their settlements in the land they owned. This is ‘Esav the father of Edom. Haftarah Vayishlach: Hoshea (Hosea) 11:7–12:12(11) (A); ‘Ovadyah (Obadiah) 1–21 (S) B'rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Vayishlach: 1 Corinthians 5:1–13; Revelation 7:1–12

His brothers retorted, "Yes, you will certainly be our king. You'll do a great job of bossing us around!" And they hated him still more for his dreams and for what he said.

where a man found him wandering around in the countryside. The man asked him, "What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for my brothers," he answered. "Tell me, please, where are they pasturing the sheep?"

So when the Midyanim, merchants, passed by, they drew and lifted Yosef up out of the cistern and sold him for half a pound of silver shekels to the Yishma‘elim, who took Yosef on to Egypt.