News & Announcements

November's first parashah, Toldot, always fills me with dread. Throughout Genesis, there are instances of sibling rivalry - and fratricide! - but the interaction described between Esau and Jacob makes me so, so sad.

Jacob, under the direction of his mother, steals Esau’s birthright and first born blessing. When Esau discovers that he’s "been had," he cries out, “Do you only have one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Having grown up in a large family, I am acutely aware of what sibling rivalry can do to dynamics.

QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

How do you differentiate one child from the other? How do you make sure each child knows what makes them special? How do you quell sibling rivalry in your own family?

- Rabbi Aimee