According to Merriam-Webster, there is not an appropriate way of stealing anything. In fact, the definition of stealing is to take the property of another wrongfully and especially as a habitual or regular practice. Can anyone here tonight come up with a time that stealing would be appropriate or justified?

At this point I am sure that most of you here tonight are a little confused on where I am going with this. In the portion we heard my brother Michael read tonight, we learned of a story from the lives of Jacob and Esau. Jacob pretends to be Esau and in a sense steals his father's blessing. Can this be justified?

The torah tells us that even in Rebekah's womb the twins were fighting. Esau, the first born, is linked to the people of Edom, a nickname of his. These people of Edom are linked with the Romans and were enemies of the Jewish people. The second born was Jacob. His name comes from the word heel. This is significant because Jacob held on to Esau's heel as they both came out of their mother's womb. We all know that Jacob's name is later changed to Israel, the historical name of our people and homeland.

To refresh the story tonight, Jacob learns from Rebekah that Isaac has asked Esau to bring him a meal in exchange for his blessing. Jacob goes ahead of Esau and dresses up as his brother and takes his father a meal. Upon receiving this meal, Isaac gives Jacob his blessing. Later in the portion, Esau brings his father a meal but subsequently discovers that his brother has already brought the meal and received the blessing.

I believe that Jacob stole the blessing. He learned what was going on and stepped in and took what was not supposed to be his own. Was it right of him to do? We know that Esau was not a very good guy. He was an impatient and demanding person who was quick to lose his temper. In addition, like I already mentioned his lineage is connected to the Romans who at one point plotted the destruction of the Jewish people. Again the question arises whether or not that makes it alright for Jacob to have stolen his father's blessing.

Skin deep, Jacob doesn't seem like one to steal anything or stir up trouble. Although he fought with his brother his whole life, he is described as a “mild” person. He was said to have been quiet, patient and clever. However, he was known to use his cleverness inappropriately at times. Prior to taking his father's blessing, he took his brother's birthrite. He then years later pretends to be his brother and the rest is history.

Was Jacob wrong to do what he did? I believe that he was in fact very wrong for what he did, but I don't think it was his fault. He fell victim to what most siblings, especially brothers have experienced at one point in their lives.

Parental favoritism is, what I believe, to have caused Jacob to act so irrationally not only when he received the blessing but also when he got his brother to sell his birthrite. The two brothers were very jealous of each other and strived to receive their parent's love and affection. To make things worse, each parent had a favorite. Rebekah and Jacob. Isaac and Esau. It was impossible for Jacob and Esau to ever get along. They strived for something that would be impossible to get. Following their parents caused the strife and I believe led to the brothers going off in different directions and becoming symbols for Israel and Rome. Rebekah saw in Jacob the ability to be a great leader and wanted the best out of her favorite son. It was this reason he went on to dress up like his brother and take his father's blessing.

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