"A simple man, dwelling in tents" (Genesis 25:27) Rosh Chodesh Kislev, 5783/November 25, 2022 Yitzchak , the son of Avraham and father of Yaakov and Esau , had two close calls in his life. The first, of course, was the akeida - when his father brought him to Mount Moriah at G-d's behest to offer him up to HaShem, only to witness with his own eyes gazing heavenward, HaShem rescind the order at the last possible moment. Yitzchak's second close call forms the dramatic climax of this week's Torah reading, Toldot . This is where he very nearly bequeaths Esau with the blessing of the first-born, only to be saved by such an ill-fated move by a last minute deception literally "cooked up" by Rivka and played out perfectly by Yaakov , who walked out of Yitzchak's chamber with the much coveted blessing of the first-born. But why was Yaakov the right son to receive Yitzchak's blessing? After all, Esau did exit Rivka...