I'm Jen Rolnick, cantor of Beth Israel Congregation (Owings Mills, MD). Welcome to the Meditative Mondays podcast, an opportunity to rest, relax and rejuvenate through guided meditation and chant.
This week, we read about the tale of two brothers, Jacob and Esau. Esau is the physical, strong hunter while Jacob is the mild mannered, gentler son. The two brothers fight even in the womb over who will be the stronger brother. The struggle between these brothers in many ways mirrors the internal emotional struggles we often face. In today's meditation, I encourage you to explore different parts of your personality, to feel the tension between them and to work towards reconciliation.
15 Nov 2021
Episode 19: Vayishlach - Facing Challenges
In this week's Torah reading, Vayishlach, we are reminded that sometimes in life, we face struggles. Jacob has a physical struggle with an angel and from out of this exchange he is given the name Israel, one who struggles with God. Jacob is also struggling emotionally with how to repair his damaged relationship with his brother, Esau. The two had not spoken since Jacob’s deception in tricking their father and stealing his brothers blessing. Jacob is afraid to approach his brother, but he is able to face that fear and the two reconcile. Jacob’s physical struggle with the angel is perhaps a metaphor, an outward representation of the emotional struggle going on inside. This physical, tangible image of complicated emotion can be helpful to us in sorting out our emotions and facing our challenges. Today I would like to invite you to go on a journey with me, one where we visualize facing a difficult situation and how we can out of challenges healthier and stronger.
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