Descendants of Esau and Jacob: Naming Names and Telling Tales (Genesis 36:1-43)

In psychotherapy, it is generally proposed that the beginning of coping consists of naming the problem or issue with which one is having difficulties. But giving a name is insufficient. Stories must be told in order to give substance to memories and emotions and allow them to be synthesized and then set aside, not as […]

Esau versus Jacob: Naming Names and Telling Tales (Genesis 36:1-43)

Why are the generations of descendants of Esau merely listed in these 43 verses with no stories told about any of them? In contrast, in the next parasha, we are introduced to an in-depth tale about Jacob’s sons, most predominantly his youngest son, Joseph. Of course, this is the story that leads to the tale […]