Jacob - the surprising story of the father of the nation "Behold, I will be with you and guard you wherever you go" (Genesis 20:15) Jacob, the last of the fathers of the nation, the father of twelve sons and a daughter, stands at a crossroads that takes us from the life of a small family to the life of a great nation. His actions and failures, his successes and sufferings, serve the great divine plan of turning Jacob into Israel - the father of the nation of Israel. Jacob is a fascinating, unusual character. A person whose morals are questionable, who does not engage in deceitful and deceitful acts. The story of his life is a story of sins and punishments, and with them also a lesson and purification. His devious behavior at times will not prevent the fulfillment of the divine plan. What exactly happened between Jacob and his brother Esau. Why did he quarrel with his father-in-law Laban? Where did the angels go up the ladder, and who is the mysterious figure who wrestled with Jacob near the Yabok crossing. How does Jacob juggle between four wives and thirteen children. Why did he love Rachel, why did he prefer Yosef? Were the days of his life "few and bad"? The story of Jacob's life was not written down just to simply tell what happened, and to discover another piece of the young nation's history. It was written to educate generations of readers through hidden messages. Hidden - because the biblical narrator does not make open announcements about his perceptions and trends, and he leaves the drawing of conclusions in the hands of the diligent reader, who is right to bother and think, to reveal and discover. This reader will find in Professor Yair Zakovitz an incomparable mentor, and will rediscover the father of the nation.