# 40 - Esau's Revenge - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Jacob prepares to face his brother Esau, fearing retribution for his past deceit. As tensions mount and Esau approaches with 400 men, Jacob wrestles with his guilt and seeks reconciliation, unsure if he will find peace or vengeance in this long-awaited reunion.
Episode 40 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Genesis.
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For more information about Yael Eckstein and IFCJ visit https://www.ifcj.org/
Today's opening prayer is inspired by 1 Thessalonians 5:15, “See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good for one another and for all.”
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Show Notes:
(02:42) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(04:09) Esau's Revenge - Cinematic Retelling
(14:57) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people.
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Speaker 2: Two nations are in your womb. Two people will come
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Speaker 2: from you and be separated. One people will be stronger
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Speaker 2: than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.
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Speaker 3: I am sorry, my son, your brother came deceitfully and
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Speaker 3: took your blessing away. The promise has been given to Jacob.
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Speaker 4: That snake. You were right to name him Jacob. He's
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Speaker 4: a deceiver. He's generate price. Jacob, calm you come.
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Speaker 5: You, oh.
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Speaker 1: He sword drew out his blade and cut his hand.
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Speaker 1: He raised his fist to the air, blood dripping from
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Speaker 1: his palm, down his arm and onto the dirt.
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Speaker 4: When Father is God and I put him in the dirt, I.
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Speaker 3: Have you think you can fight that man?
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Speaker 5: He may be a bear, but I am no lamb.
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Speaker 5: We're twins, and I have just as much fight in
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Speaker 5: my bones as he does.
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Speaker 1: Out of the question, I won't be bereft of both
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Speaker 1: of you.
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Speaker 5: Go to Laban.
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Speaker 6: I will send word to you when I feel it safe.
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Speaker 1: Jacob wiped his eyes and puffed out his chest, then,
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Speaker 1: without looking back, fled into the wilderness.
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Speaker 5: My grandfather Abraham once left the comforts of these lambs
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Speaker 5: to Canaan. He embarked on an adventure into the unknown,
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Speaker 5: beckoned by a faint promise. Whisper to the stars. Tonight,
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Speaker 5: we've been given that same call to advent. We're i
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Speaker 5: asked to leave this land and step into the unknown.
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Speaker 5: Hear me, Clan of Jacob, Here is my declaration, and
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Speaker 5: God will be with us, just as he was with
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Speaker 5: my father's Isaac and Abraham.
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Speaker 1: Jacob nodded and turned back to cana He wasn't sure
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Speaker 1: what the future held, no doubt he saw was somewhere
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Speaker 1: out there, stronger and more vengeful. Jacob chose to step
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Speaker 1: forward in faith that the God of his forefathers would
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Speaker 1: protect him.
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Speaker 7: In the silence of the desert night, two brothers meet,
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Speaker 7: one with vengeance in mind and the other with a
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Speaker 7: heart full of fear. Shallo, my friends from here in
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Speaker 7: the Holy Land, amya l Extein with the International Fellowship
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Speaker 7: of Christians and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People.
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Speaker 7: Each day we'll hear a dramatic story inspired by the Bible,
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Speaker 7: stories filled with timeless lessons of faith, love, and the
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Speaker 7: meaning of life. If you're interested in learning more about
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Speaker 7: the countless lives being affected by my work at the Fellowship.
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Speaker 7: Visit IFCJ dot com. It's incredible to see how the
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Speaker 7: Fellowship is on the frontlines of saving lives and partnering
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Speaker 7: with God to be part of biblical prophecy coming to fruition.
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Speaker 7: Check it out IFCJ dot com. And now let's begin.
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Speaker 7: Today's story asks us all to consider the consequences of
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Speaker 7: our actions and the way that we treat people. Jacob
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Speaker 7: deceived his way into prominence and blessing and left his
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Speaker 7: brother in the wake. How often have we tried to
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Speaker 7: get ahead without thinking about the people that we wronged
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Speaker 7: in the process. In today's dramatic retelling of j Heneses
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Speaker 7: thirty two one to twenty one, Jacob is going to
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Speaker 7: try and make things right. But keep your eyes open.
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Speaker 7: Will it be too late.
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Speaker 1: The air was heavy and moist. Fog hovered low over
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Speaker 1: the wet earth. Jacob dismounted his camel and looked around.
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Speaker 1: It was difficult to tell at first, but he was
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Speaker 1: realizing where they were. He turned to his left and
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Speaker 1: saw the monument he had established long ago when God
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Speaker 1: revealed the staircase to heaven. Jacob peered through the gloom.
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Speaker 1: He saw silhouettes of warriors walking to and fro. Jacob
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Speaker 1: looked behind him. His family and all his men were
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Speaker 1: clueless as to what was happening. Only Jacob could see
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Speaker 1: that they were in a divine encampment. The angels of
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Speaker 1: God were before them.
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Speaker 5: This is God's camp.
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Speaker 4: What did you say, Jacob?
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Speaker 1: Jacob turned to his family, his eyes intensely divine knowledge.
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Speaker 1: He didn't consider himself a seer or a prophet like
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Speaker 1: his grandfather, But in this space where the boundaries between
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Speaker 1: Heaven and Earth seemed to blur, Jacob felt the divine spark.
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Speaker 1: He could see what others couldn't.
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Speaker 5: This is God's camp. His angels are here. I can
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Speaker 5: see them. I'll call this place my name.
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Speaker 1: The others exchanged curious looks, wondering if Jacob was mad
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Speaker 1: or had a divine vision. Jacob paid little heed to
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Speaker 1: their skepticism. He left them and stepped into the mist.
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Speaker 1: He walked the camp, watching figures like specters, walk to
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Speaker 1: and fro. He wondered if their commander was among them,
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Speaker 1: the captain of Heaven's armies. He could sense God's presence,
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Speaker 1: but couldn't see him. He strained to see through the mist,
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Speaker 1: but was unable He walked to the precipice of the
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Speaker 1: hill and looked down. He could see parts of the
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Speaker 1: road sloping down down to sea. Jacob's eyes widened. They
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Speaker 1: were in the borderlands of Esau. Jacob had received word
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Speaker 1: a few years back that Esau had leveraged his relationships
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Speaker 1: with his wife to gain prominence in Sea. Jacob was
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Speaker 1: surprised to hear his brother had been so clever. Now
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Speaker 1: that he was about to cross the border of his
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Speaker 1: brother's territory, he knew he had to confront him. He
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Speaker 1: had no choice. He had to make amends if it
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Speaker 1: was possible. Jacob shouted for one of his men to
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Speaker 1: come near. He pointed down the road and explained what
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Speaker 1: was happening.
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Speaker 5: My brother Esau is a lord in syr. The last
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Speaker 5: time I saw him, he vowed to kill me. I
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Speaker 5: need you to travel to his village and give him
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Speaker 5: a message. Tell him I've been so joining in the
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Speaker 5: land of Laban until now I have oxen, donkeys, flocks
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Speaker 5: and servants of my own. I haven't come to claim
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Speaker 5: anything from him or take anything. Tell him did I
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Speaker 5: seek favor in his sight?
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Speaker 2: It will be.
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Speaker 3: Done, my lord. I will return once I have word
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Speaker 3: back from Esau.
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Speaker 5: Be respectful, be patient, be measured. He isn't known for
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Speaker 5: his clear communication.
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Speaker 3: Understood, my lord.
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Speaker 1: The messenger left to Esau. Jacob released a deep sigh
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Speaker 1: and closed his eyes. He steadied his breath. Everything in
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Speaker 1: him wanted to avoid Esau. He wanted to slip by
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Speaker 1: unnoticed and divert the conflict. But the time for short
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Speaker 1: fixes was over. Jacob no longer wished to be the trickster.
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Speaker 1: How would he face his destiny if he couldn't even
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Speaker 1: face his brother. The messengers entered the sea border lands.
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Speaker 1: The land was lush with bright green grass and purple
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Speaker 1: wild flowers lacing the border hills. Past the pastures and fences,
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Speaker 1: a village of huts rested between two giant, craggy hills.
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Speaker 1: Behind the village was a vast forest. From the looks
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Speaker 1: of all the antlers and pelts outside the huts, it
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Speaker 1: would seem that it was a village of hunters. Jacob's
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Speaker 1: men reached the middle of the village before being stopped
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Speaker 1: with swords and spears pointed at their throats.
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Speaker 3: We've come to speak with Esau on behalf of his
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Speaker 3: brother Jacob.
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Speaker 1: They dragged them to a large structure hewn from oak
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Speaker 1: and mortar. Within the great halls were pelts of stags, lions,
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Speaker 1: and bears. Sitting at the center was the chief. He
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Speaker 1: was a large, hairy man with hands as thick as
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Speaker 1: bare paws. His beard was jet black, thick and braided.
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Speaker 1: Yet the eyes underneath his low brow revealed his identity.
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Speaker 1: He was none other than the twin brother of Jacob,
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Speaker 1: their lord.
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Speaker 4: Why have you come?
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Speaker 3: We have come on behalf of your brother Jacob. He
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Speaker 3: has been sojourning in the land of Laban until now
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Speaker 3: He's returned to dwell in the land of his Ah,
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Speaker 3: your father.
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Speaker 6: He has oxen, donkeys, flocks and servants all of his own.
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Speaker 6: He hasn't come to claim anything from you or take anything.
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Speaker 6: He seeks only favor in your sight.
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Speaker 4: I have not seen my brother in long time.
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Speaker 5: Indeed, I will go to him.
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Speaker 3: You will go to him. I'm not sure that's necessary.
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Speaker 3: He's merely going to pass through and only wishes to
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Speaker 3: have peace between the two of you.
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Speaker 4: I go, I go now.
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Speaker 1: He so gestured to a few of his men.
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Speaker 8: Brring four hundred men, we go see my brother.
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Speaker 1: Esau passed the messenger and left the room. He did
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Speaker 1: not say a formal goodbye or indicate his intent. The
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Speaker 1: messenger bolted out of the village, only to see Esau
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Speaker 1: stomping down the road with four hundred armed men behind him.
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Speaker 1: The day seemed to drag on forever. Jacob paced up
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Speaker 1: and down his camp, his worry mounting, until his messenger
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Speaker 1: eventually returned, my.
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Speaker 3: Lord, Jacob, we have news from ESO's camp.
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Speaker 5: Did you deliver my message? Yes, my lord.
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Speaker 3: His response was simple and stoic. It was difficult to
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Speaker 3: get a read on his intentions until.
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Speaker 5: Until what what happened?
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Speaker 3: He is coming here to meet you. There are four
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Speaker 3: hundred armed men joining him.
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Speaker 1: Jacob's heart quickened, his palms moistened, and his throat clenched.
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Speaker 1: This was his worst fear realized. Did he declare his intentions? No,
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Speaker 1: my lord, divide our camp and half. I need half
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Speaker 1: the men, servants, livestock, and resources.
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Speaker 5: If Esau plans to attack and raid our camp, at
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Speaker 5: least half, we'll have a chance to escape.
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Speaker 3: Yes, my lord, right away.
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Speaker 1: Jacob's camp buzz like a fallen beehive. Jacob obstrode among them,
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Speaker 1: barking orders and giving commands.
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Speaker 5: Have the goats will go with heron, the others will
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Speaker 5: follow Aesael. You there, find the chests of garments and
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Speaker 5: divide them among Rachael's maid service. Ah, I need all
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Speaker 5: my armed men's shoulder to shoulder, we'll divide you volunteer
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Speaker 5: two companies.
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Speaker 1: Jacob took out his sword and secured it to his side.
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Speaker 1: He rolled his shoulders back and steeled himself for a fight.
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Speaker 1: Rachel and the others approached in a panic.
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Speaker 9: Jacob, what are we going to do?
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Speaker 5: Where will we go? You'll come with me for now.
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Speaker 5: If we get a sense of which direction Esil's approaching,
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Speaker 5: I'll send you with the company that's furthest from him.
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Speaker 3: What did you do to this man to make him
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Speaker 3: hate you so much?
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Speaker 1: Jacob paused and stared out toward the horizon. Dusk was
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Speaker 1: fast approaching. His mind immediately returned to the day he
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Speaker 1: stole his brother's blessing. He thought back to all his tricks.
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Speaker 1: All of them came at a cost, and now it
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Speaker 1: seemed his family would suffer as well. It pained Jacob
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Speaker 1: to think that his sins would ripple in such a way.
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Speaker 1: Jacob turned to answer his wife. He held her face
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Speaker 1: and kissed her forehead.
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Speaker 5: I wanted more. I was willing to do whatever it
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Speaker 5: took to get it. Now I have it, and I
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Speaker 5: fear it will be taken from me. If we are
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Speaker 5: to survive this sight, I must seek God most High.
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Speaker 5: I'll return shortly.
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Speaker 1: Jacob marched to a near by terebinth tree. Its trunk
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Speaker 1: was sturdy as stone, providing a solid base for its
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Speaker 1: wide stretching branches. Jacob felt safe underneath. He prayed that
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Speaker 1: God's protection would cover him like the shadows of the
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Speaker 1: trees branches. O, God of my father's Abraham and Isaac,
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Speaker 1: it was you who told me to return here to
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Speaker 1: the land of my kin.
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Speaker 8: You told me that there are good things waiting for me,
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Speaker 8: but it would seem that swords and torches await me.
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Speaker 1: Jacob fell to his knees and gripped the dirt for
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Speaker 1: the first time in his life. Jacob prayed with tears,
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Speaker 1: his heart ached for answers from his God.
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Speaker 8: I am not worthy of the stepfast, love and faithfulness
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Speaker 8: you've shown me. I've fled across the Jordan with nothing
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Speaker 8: but a staff, and now I have enough to fill
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Speaker 8: two cats.
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Speaker 9: Who am I that you bless me? So please deliver
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Speaker 9: me from the hand of my brother. I fear that
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Speaker 9: he will attack me and my children and their mothers.
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Speaker 1: Jacob paused and considered all the promises made to him
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Speaker 1: long ago, the promises made to Abraham and Isaac. He
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Speaker 1: beat his chest and boldly called upon God to fulfill
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Speaker 1: his promises.
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Speaker 5: Ah, you told me that I'll be great. You told
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Speaker 5: me that my osprey will outnumber the sands of the sea.
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Speaker 5: If these are the promises you've made, then these are
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Speaker 5: the promises you'll keep.
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Speaker 1: Jacob left the shade of the true and gathered his servants.
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Speaker 1: He instructed them to gather gifts for Esau. Hundreds of rams, goats, bulls,
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Speaker 1: and donkeys.
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Speaker 5: He'll split into separate droves and go ahead of me
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Speaker 5: one by one. You'll stop Esau's company to present him
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Speaker 5: with gifts. Each time, deliver the same message. Tell him
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Speaker 5: these gifts are from your servant, Jacob. He's behind us. Yes,
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Speaker 5: Lord Jacob, do not forget to mention that I am
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Speaker 5: his servant. He needs to know I'm contrite, and these
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Speaker 5: gifts aren't given to gloat about my resources, but to
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Speaker 5: gain his favor, as you wish.
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Speaker 1: Lord Jacob. Jacob sent them off and gathered his family
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Speaker 1: at the base of Mahanaim. He looked up. The final
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Speaker 1: rays of daylight were fading beneath the horizon. As he
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Speaker 1: watched the sunset, he felt something shift in the air.
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Speaker 1: Someone from God's camp was calling him.
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Speaker 7: The past year here in Israel has been a difficult one.
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Speaker 7: We've mourned the loss of more than one thy two
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Speaker 7: hundred Israelis who are brutally murdered by Ramas on October seventh.
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Speaker 7: We've prayed for the healing of thousands of soldiers and civilians.
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Speaker 1: Who have been wounded.
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Speaker 7: We've prayed for the loved ones of those lost, and
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Speaker 7: for those who are still being held in Gaza. We
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Speaker 7: pray each and every day for God's protection over our
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Speaker 7: loved ones here in Israel, as enemies on all sides
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Speaker 7: seek to do us harm, and I pray for His
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Speaker 7: protection over the thousands of Israelis in need, who depend
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Speaker 7: on the Fellowship for help, who depend on us for food,
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Speaker 7: for blankets, for clothing, depend on us for bomb shelters
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Speaker 7: and life saving aid. And sometimes I have to admit
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Speaker 7: I feel a little bit overwhelmed. But when the fear
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Speaker 7: and distress of life feel like they're going to swallow
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Speaker 7: me whole. I stop, and I go out to take
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Speaker 7: a long solitary walk, And as I walk, I'm able
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Speaker 7: to find God's peace and his blessings even in the
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Speaker 7: middle of the turmoil. These walks and nature, just listening
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Speaker 7: to the birds and looking at the trees and looking
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Speaker 7: up at the sky. They're my reminder that while I
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Speaker 7: must do my best, I have to surrender to God's guidance.
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Speaker 7: This is my sanctuary. Each step in nature brings me
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Speaker 7: closer to come and closer to God. And then I
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Speaker 7: come back from my walk as a better parent to
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Speaker 7: my children and a more effective servant in my work.
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Speaker 7: In this story, we find Jacob, who the Bible tells
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Speaker 7: us was quote in great fear and distress end quote
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Speaker 7: Jacob waiting for a faithful meeting with his estranged brother Esa,
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Speaker 7: approaching with four four hundred armed men. Jacob, who deceived
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Speaker 7: Esa and took his blessing, had every reason to fear.
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Speaker 7: And then just a few verses later, the Bible tells
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Speaker 7: us this quote he spent the night there end quote.
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Speaker 7: The Jewish ages explained that despite his looming dread, Jacob
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Speaker 7: slept solemnly, despite his great fear and distress with good reason.
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Speaker 7: He got a good night's sleep. Jacob had done all
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Speaker 7: that he could. He divided his camp, he sent gifts
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Speaker 7: to appease Esa, and he even lifted fervent prayers up
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Speaker 7: to the heavens. Jacob did everything that was in his power,
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Speaker 7: and then he let go. King David would later tell
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Speaker 7: us to quote cast our cares on the Lord end quote,
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Speaker 7: And that's exactly what Jacob did here. He placed his
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Speaker 7: fears in God's hand, and he cast his cares on
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Speaker 7: the Lord. He did everything he could which was in
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Speaker 7: his power, and then he gave it to God. If
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Speaker 7: God's come and guidance can relieve Jacob's fear and distress,
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Speaker 7: then it can surely do the same for us. Before
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Speaker 7: we move on, though, There's something that I always find
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Speaker 7: strange about this story. I find it strange that Jacob
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Speaker 7: would be frightened in the first place. Jacob he had
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Speaker 7: a direct connection with God. He was a holy man,
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Speaker 7: and havn't God promise to protect Jacob and bring him
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Speaker 7: back to the Holy Land. Didn't he know that ultimately
00:18:38
Speaker 7: everything would be okay? What reason did Jacob have to
00:18:42
Speaker 7: be scared? Well, Jewish tradition has an insight into this
00:18:46
Speaker 7: question that I find helpful not just in answering my
00:18:49
Speaker 7: question about this particular Bible story, but has a life
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Speaker 7: lesson that I integrate into my life. Our ancient tradition
00:18:57
Speaker 7: teaches that a righteous person should never become completely sure
00:19:01
Speaker 7: of him or herself. No, a righteous person, although guaranteed
00:19:05
Speaker 7: God's protection, understands that the promise is a divine gift,
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Speaker 7: and he realizes that it's up to him to keep
00:19:15
Speaker 7: working on himself. No matter what promises God makes to us,
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Speaker 7: we need to continue growing in our faith and in ourselves.
00:19:25
Speaker 7: We have to continue growing and striving to be a
00:19:29
Speaker 7: little bit more like God. This is also a story
00:19:33
Speaker 7: of reconciliation, and reconciliation is hard, isn't it. Reconciliation takes patience, understanding,
00:19:41
Speaker 7: and humility. Here's a question, how do we talk to
00:19:46
Speaker 7: those who have wronged us? How do we ask forgiveness
00:19:50
Speaker 7: for those that we've wronged? Do we do it with
00:19:53
Speaker 7: a humble heart? Do we do it with patience and understanding? Yes,
00:19:59
Speaker 7: the situation in Israel is hard. It can, like Jacob,
00:20:04
Speaker 7: leave us in great fear and distress. As I'm recording this,
00:20:08
Speaker 7: there are warplanes flying over my house. But this Bible
00:20:12
Speaker 7: story contains words that help alleviate that fear and distress,
00:20:16
Speaker 7: and that have done the same for millennia, as the
00:20:20
Speaker 7: First and Second Temples were destroyed, as the Chosen People
00:20:24
Speaker 7: were exiled, as we were dispersed across the globe, as
00:20:28
Speaker 7: we face the Inquisition and forgromes, as we survived the Holocaust,
00:20:33
Speaker 7: and as we face threats today right now from all
00:20:37
Speaker 7: sides of the Holy Land. Through it all, three times
00:20:41
Speaker 7: a day we have a weapon, and that weapon is prayer.
00:20:48
Speaker 7: We recite the same words as all of those generations
00:20:53
Speaker 7: who came before us during hard times. It's the words
00:20:57
Speaker 7: that unite us together through the gener you see, three
00:21:02
Speaker 7: times a day we open the Amidah prayer, the centerpiece
00:21:06
Speaker 7: of daily Jewish worship, by praying to the God of
00:21:10
Speaker 7: our patriarchs. This is how we open the prayer. We say,
00:21:15
Speaker 7: Blessed are you, Lord, our God, and God of our forefathers,
00:21:19
Speaker 7: God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob.
00:21:24
Speaker 7: That's how we start our prayers. In this story, we
00:21:28
Speaker 7: find the first person who we mentioned. Still today in
00:21:32
Speaker 7: our prayers, we mentioned Jacob, and we're studying the story
00:21:38
Speaker 7: of Jacob, one of our forefathers.
00:21:43
Speaker 5: As Esun his.
00:21:45
Speaker 7: Army approached, do you know what Jacob called out? He
00:21:50
Speaker 7: called out to God, and he said, God of my
00:21:53
Speaker 7: father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac. We can
00:21:57
Speaker 7: all find calm amid the fear and peace amid the
00:22:01
Speaker 7: distress by remembering the blessings that God promised to our forefathers,
00:22:09
Speaker 7: to Abraham, to Isaac and Jacob. And by tapping into
00:22:13
Speaker 7: those promises, we can remember all the good things that
00:22:20
Speaker 7: He promises to us today. And so let me conclude
00:22:25
Speaker 7: with a blessing to you. This blessing is very special
00:22:29
Speaker 7: to me, as it's the priestly blessing from numbers nine
00:22:32
Speaker 7: that my Abbah, my father Abbi Ria al Extein, a
00:22:35
Speaker 7: blessed memory, gave to me and my sisters every single
00:22:39
Speaker 7: Friday night on Shabbat. And it's a blessing that I
00:22:43
Speaker 7: will leave you with right now. May the Lord bless
00:22:47
Speaker 7: you and keep you. May the Lord make his face
00:22:49
Speaker 7: shine upon you, May he be gracious to you. May
00:22:53
Speaker 7: the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.
00:22:57
Speaker 1: Amen. You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle
00:23:01
Speaker 1: Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscribing to the Prey
00:23:05
Speaker 1: dot Com app today. This Prey dot Com production is
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Speaker 1: only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents.
00:23:13
Speaker 1: Steve Gattina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are
00:23:18
Speaker 1: the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein,
00:23:21
Speaker 1: Edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are
00:23:27
Speaker 1: voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan,
00:23:31
Speaker 1: Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced
00:23:35
Speaker 1: by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by
00:23:39
Speaker 1: Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier,
00:23:44
Speaker 1: Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team
00:23:48
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