THE MIDRASH SAYS that it took God seven days to “convince” Moshe Rabbeinu to accept his mission of taking the Jewish People out of slavery and to Eretz Yisroel.

KNOWING that his end was near, Ya’akov began preparing for the “continuity of government.” The era of the Avos was going to end with his death, and he wanted to make sure that no one dropped the ball after it did. Thousands of years of history were at stake, and the destiny of the Jewish People yet to exist. 

IT IS such a part of who we are, but shouldn’t be. Even “healthy” competition can be a dangerous thing because it can and often does lead to unhealthy competition.