Of the three Biblical patriarchs, we spend the most time with Jacob. We meet Jacob before he is even born and follow his life from beginning to end. In his youth we learn of his sibling rivalry with his older brother Esau. We read of his 20 years with his uncle Lavan, arriving empty-handed as a single young man and departing with two wives, two concubines, 12 children and lots of wealth. We follow him to settling in Canaan and through a series of losses – the death of his wife Rachel, the rape of his daughter Dinah, the loss of his favorite son Joseph. And Jacob’s story concludes at age 137 with his death in Egypt, having found Joseph to be the second in command of the country.

Jacob’s life is a ‘real’ life. He forms all kinds of relationships – loving, trusting, and antagonistic. He has gains and losses, ups and downs. He repairs broken relationships and severs others. He makes mistakes and learns from his mistakes. Of the three patriarchs, Jacob is most like each of us.

In his moments of difficulty and celebration, Jacob always turns to God. He has God encounters as he flees Esau and Canaan, as he returns 20 years later, as he settles back in the land, and as he prepares to head to Egypt to reunite with Joseph. Jacob, like many of us, feels God at his side in his moments of both celebration and sorrow.

The recent release of many Israeli hostages is one of these moments. It is a celebration for those who have been freed and for their families, yet each day we also experience sorrow and are reminded of those still held captive. We are reminded every day of the cruelty of October 7 and that its trauma remains ever-present so long as hostages are not yet home.

We pray every week for God’s protection for our soldiers and the hostages. May we also expand this prayer to include God standing by each of our side as we traverse these moments of complex emotions, just as our patriarch Jacob did.