In this week's Torah portion, Jacob deals with Esau in three unique ways: He plans a military strategy, he prays to God, and he engages in diplomacy. Do these various options contradict each other?.

In this week's Torah portion, where Jacob sends angels to Esau, we learn about the concept of 'shlichut' – sending emissaries around the world. It's the basis for the devoted work of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, to make the physical world a spiritual place.

We know that honesty is one of the trademark seals of Judaism. Yet, we see that Jacob, after disguising himself as his brother Esayu and receiving the birthright, goes on to be deceived himself when Laban trick Jacob into marrying Leah. Is this some sort of payback for his original deceit, or is there a larger lesson here?.

Can we be successful in our professional endeavors and, at the same time, stay committed to our Jewish tradition? Do they always have to come into conflict?.

When Abraham died, the Philistines closed up the wells that our patriarch had built, symbolically covering up Abraham's teachings. But then along comes Isaac who re-digs those same wells so the world would never forget Abraham and his messages.

Above all else, Judaism believes in free will, the ability that we all have to charter our own life course without anyone pushing us in one way or another. So how do balance that thought with our inherent predilections and instincts to act in a certain way?.

When we read about Isaac marrying Rebecca, the Torah goes out of its way to tell us about Rebecca's genealogy – where she's from, who she's related to, and so on. But we already know this information. So why does the Torah repeat it here?.

What is the idea behind performing an act of kindness in memory of someone who passed away? The answer is both simple and deep.

The Biblical source for doing acts of kindness is love your neighbor as yourself. It's the source for visiting the sick, comforting the mourner, dancing in front of the bride and groom, and so on. But can you actually love your neighbor as yourself?.

We pray three times a day, and each prayer service was instituted by one of our patriarchs. Mincha, the afternoon prayers, was instituted by Isaac. Tune in to today's clip to discover why it's a unique Jewish contribution to the world.