When we think of Jacob as a young man, we tend to recall the dramatic episode when he surreptitiously disguised himself as Esau to “steal” the blessing from his father Isaac. As we study our Torah reading, however, we learn that Jacob actually received two blessings from his father. The first blessing — given to a disguised Jacob — focused on material blessings: the “dew of heaven,” the “fatness of the earth,” “plenty of grain and wine,” political power and hegemony (Gen. 27:28-29), whereas the second blessing — given to an undisguised Jacob — focused on his role as God’s chosen patriarch of Israel (Gen. 28:3-4). The difference between these blessings turned on Isaac’s restored vision. His first blessing was tailored to the character of Esau as his “natural choice,” whereas his second blessing looked beyond mere appearances to behold the vision that was originally given to his father Abraham:
“May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful,
and multiply you so you become an assembly of peoples.
And may He grant the blessing of Abraham
to you and your offspring.”
(Gen. 28:3-4)
From our Torah portion (i.e., 
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32). Every one of us has a “dark side” or a “shadow self” that has destructive and selfish urges. We try to conceal this truth from others (and even ourselves) but such denial doesn’t change the reality within our hearts (Matt. 5:19; Jer. 17:9; Eccl. 9:3). Indeed, when we pretend to be something we are not we are more likely to be overwhelmed by dark forces hidden within us. Paradoxically we most vulnerable when we think we are well, that is, when we deny our sickness our heart and minimize our need for deliverance.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Not just this or that particular sin, mind you, but the whole constellation of attitudes, assumptions, and wayward thinking that brought us into exile in the first place. The word confession (ὁμολογία) means bringing yourself naked before the Divine Light to agree with the truth about who you are. Indeed, the verb homologeo (ὁμολογέω) means “saying the same thing” – from ὁμός (same) and λόγος (word). In biblical Hebrew teshuvah (תְשׁוּבָה) means turning back to God by turning away from what makes you lost in unreality and painful exile. God’s love for us is the question, and our teshuvah – our turning of the heart toward Him – is the answer. Teshuvah is one of the great gifts God gives each of us – the ability to turn back to Him and seek healing for our brokenness.
Our Lord said: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” (Matt. 5:6). Yes, blessed are those who suffer such desperate need, who know inner emptiness, who are not made numb to the ache, and who cry from the heart for deliverance. Blessed are those who are in dread over themselves, who fall as one dead before the Divine Presence, who know they are undone, ruined, and dying for life… The great danger, spiritually speaking, is to become complacent, untouched by poverty of heart, to be lulled asleep, lost within a dream, made comatose, living-yet-dead. The gift of faith first reveals our own lostness and then imparts courage to live with ourselves despite ourselves as we seek God’s healing and life… Let us press on, dear friends.
In our Torah portion this week (
Keep the flame within your heart burning, friend… A sage once told a person struggling with his faith: “It is written that all creation was brought into being because of people like you. God saw there would be people who would cling to our holy faith, suffering greatly because confusion and doubt would plague them. God perceived that such would overcome these doubts and troubles of heart and remain strong in their belief. It was because of this that God brought forth all creation.” Indeed, it was because of this that Yeshua our LORD suffered and died for you… Amen. Therefore never yield to despair, since that leads to further darkness and fear. Press on and keep fighting the “good fight” of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). Remember that you infinitely matter to heaven; your life has great value; you are significant and you are truly loved by our Heavenly Father. There is a “future and a hope” for you; there is “a white stone, and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand except the one who receives it” (Rev. 2:17). May “the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tested with fire, be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation to come” (1 Pet. 1:7).
In the Torah we read: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God…” (Deut. 10:12). Notice that “fear of the LORD,” yirat Adonai (יִרְאַת יהוה), comes first and is what is required of you. The sages say that to fear the LORD means that your fear should be like God’s fear. But what could God possibly fear, you ask? Only this: that you will turn away from his love and destroy yourself. To fear God means abhorring that which breaks the relationship He desires with you. That is the wound of God’s heart, and that is what God “fears.”
More space is given to the negotiation between Abraham and the Hittites for the