This week’s parashah is Genesis 32:4 to Genesis 36:43.
At the start of the text, we find our patriarch Jacob returning to the promised land after 22 years of living in Haran. That means it has been 22 years since he has faced his brother Esau. The whole episode is filled with suspense as a first-time reader would be on pins and needles wondering if Esau will carry through on his vow to kill Jacob and avenge his birthright. However, Jacob is not the same person that he was before his self-induced exile as Esau will soon find out.