Owning Your Choices, Even When They Hurt

We are once again at war with the Palestinians.  And my heart breaks for their citizens.  Because they are too primitive and too uneducated and too manipulated to have any idea how badly they have been wronged by their own leadership.  They have been endlessly manipulated by their emotions and their pride and their passion.  And their fate, as such, is to constantly lose all the blessings and goodness that Israel and the world attempt to put into their hands.  And then, when they look down into their empty hands, they cry foul and search for someone else to blame. And that is exactly the story of Eisav in this weeks Torah portion.  And it is a warning to us all.  Because deep down inside, each and every one of us has the potential to let our emotions blind us.  And each and every one of us sometimes makes the mistake of letting our pride lead our decision-making.  And each and every one of us faces moments when our passion or our emotions blinds us to everything except what we want. And in those moments, we risk losing the very blessings we covet. Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Toldot': "Owning Your Choices, Even When They Hurt". May we all be blessed to see past our emotions and judge all situations wisely, making the best choices when they matter most, and accepting responsibility for the results both when they are to our liking and when the are there to teach us. With Love and a Smile, ~Shu