Introduction

The Jacob cycle, heart of the patriarchal narratives, has moved, intrigued and inspired generations throughout the millennia. The characters are as real as we ourselves—and as elusive. Seen through different prisms, they continually reveal new facets. In this issue we examine these stories and the people in them from different perspectives: Jacob, as the deceiver —and as an “innocent man”; Joseph, the peacemaker who renounces vindictive recompense—and Joseph as a “brilliant failure.” In a classic recreation, Thomas Mann shows us how fiction too can deepen our understanding of the biblical characters. Who but a master—like Mann—would dare to recreate so delicate an episode as Jacob’s wedding night. And how do matters look from the vantage of action-oriented women living in a patriarchal society—are they, in the end, merely vessels for the creation of sons? And, finally, we include a poetic evocation of the unloved, unbeautiful Leah living in the shadow of her younger sister Rachel.