By Molly Wernick

This week's Parsha, Toldot, is the story of Jacob and Esau--the story we know all too well. Two brothers of very different mind and body rival for the birthright and blessings of their father, Isaac.

When in Rebecca's womb, G-d tells her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two kingdoms will separate from your innards, and one kingdom will become mightier than the other kingdom, and the elder will serve the younger". Esau came first, receiving the birthright and Jacob second with his mother's favor for she knew he would be the one served by his brother.

The parsha shares one anecdote of the brothers in their childhood when Esau sells Jacob his birthright in exchange for something to eat. It seemed without worry though, for Esau was still to receive his father's blessing.

Or so he thought.

We know the rest of the story about how Rebecca tells Jacob to steal the blessing by impersonating his brother's feel and smell. Esau find out about this, swears to kill Jacob, Rebecca overhears and sends Jacob to Padan Aram to live with her brober Laban and find a wife. To be continued...

Speaking of sibling rivalry, this week's events Israel, Syria and Gaza leaves us all with a weight on our hearts.

I am writing this on Thursday afternoon from my office in Center City Philadelphia. All day my focus has been challenged by 100 new tweets a minute, profile pictures changed to Israeli flags and many facebook statuses quoting The US State Department to propagandist images. (Shout outs to a certain chaver who offered the advice for Hamas

and the IDF to chill out and eat some hummus together. I mean it, the comment really made me smile.)

In Toldot, we see Rebecca as the story's "baller, shot caller" if you will. She gave Isaac the assist in making her son, Jacob, live out his legacy. That assist, however, was deceptive to say the least, and left Esau wanting Jacob for blood. She acted with courage and without hesitation to do what she felt was right. So I ask you all, as movers, shakers and leaders in our various Jewish communities, what do we need to do, as individuals and as a movement, to do right by this current upheaval.

Challenge what your "Standing for Israel" or your "Criticizing Israel" online actually does, what it implies and who it influences. Stay informed and on top of news as it comes out and reach out to your kvutzah mates, madrichim and fellow chevre to talk it out. We hold ourselves to a high standard of being and doing in the Habosphere, so be the ones who can answer the questions to your peers who are blinded by propaganda in every direction-- for it was Isaac's blindness that lead to his deception. Don't act without thinking as Esau who sold his own birthright in haste--for it was that same haste that set him to act in hatred of his brother.

Read up, speak out.

A strong and heartfelt Shabbat Shalom to our friends, family, olim and brogrim in Israel (And to everyone else in other places too)