One might think that fear is the dominating sentiment between Jacob and Esau and their fateful reunion. Rabbi Avi Novis-Deutsch, Dean of the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary suggests, when examining the relationship between the brothers, that fear is largely transient. The hug that ends the meeting is more indicative of Jacob’s true feelings.
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Avi Novis-Deutsch is the former Dean of the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary. Ordained as a Masorti rabbi by the SRS in 2003, Rabbi Novis-Deutsch also holds an MA in Jewish Studies from JTS. He served for nine years as a pulpit rabbi at two Masorti congregations in Israel, most recently, at Haminyan Hamishpachti Masorti Kfar Veradim. Rabbi Novis-Deutsch also worked for two years as a Jewish educator in Berkeley in the Bay Area, California. He is married to Dr. Nurit Novis-Deutsch. They and their three children live on Kibbutz Hanaton.