Can people change? Or does a person's fundamental character remain constant throughout his/her lifetime?
 
Of course both points of view have followers, but Judaism's take is that individuals are dynamic and that we can, with struggle, define what kind of person we wish to be.
 
This is ably demonstrated in this week's Parashah Vayishlach, as we see Jacob coming to the realization that he has been pursuing personal self-interest at the expense of his older sibling, Esau.
 
Yes, Jacob was, in fact, able to change his character - and his struggle at Beth El was the needed catalyst for accomplishing this change.
 
Recall that the night before Jacob's meeting with Esau, he was alone and suddenly found himself wrestling with an "angel" whom he could not identify. Was it truly an angel? Was it a person? Or was it the embodiment of Jacob's own doubts and failings?
 
Although we never learn the answer to these questions, we do learn that in the morning following Jacob's struggle - that our patriarch became a deeper and more mature person; that he agreed to let go and see his brother; and that he was given the new identity of "Israel" - but at the price of acquiring a limp.
 
Certainly, even today, we can also get "scars" from our struggles with others or with ourselves - even as these struggles produce good growth and change.
 
So, my wish for you today is to have the courage to face up to the effort, time, insight and commitment needed to accomplish positive changes in your lives with a minimum of struggle and scars!
 
Shabbat Shalom!