Parshat Vayishlach: Dots on a Kiss

In a dramatic moment, feuding brothers Esau and Jacob, reunite and greet each-other with an embrace and a kiss. In the Torah, the word 'and kissed' וַׄיִּׄשָּׁׄקֵ֑ׄהׄוּׄ is marked with dots above it, noting that we should pay special attention to the word.

Rabbi Dr. Joseph Ozarowski, an alumnus of St. Louis NCSY and former Chicago NCSY regional director, draws a parallel of the disconnection between the patriarch Jacob and Esau, whose progeny is said to found the Roman Empire, with today's relationship between the Jewish people and the wider culture we live in. Specifically, he investigates how we as Jews can treat the secular holiday of Thanksgiving versus Christmas and New Years.