Interestingly, Eisav is consider to be on a higher level than Ya’akov.  But his power is inaccessible because it is chaotic.  Ya’akov doesn’t want to squander the opportunity, so he prepares himself… for chaos.

Yaakov is in perfect position to out-deceive Lavan, but he backs down.  Why?

Eliezer is cursed; flawed; a servant.  But he knows it, and this become his ticket to perfection, blessing, and freedom.

Sodom is presented almost comically – where tzedakkah is punishable death.   But we may be more like the people of Sodom than we thought…

The comparison between Noach and Avraham is odious – they represent essential developmental stages, and each did their job perfectly.  But now we look at how Avraham is an evolution of Noach’s model.

Noach – a perfect metaphor for evolution?  but more like divine selection than natural selection.  but toward what end?

We are walking around with definitions – of success, of happiness, of relationship.  When we start the Torah over again, it is an opportunity to recalibrate our definitions.