We are used to thinking that the big questions of life are questions of identity: Who am I? What matters to me? Who do I want to be?

What may seem here like a platitude is actually a lesson that is difficult to take to heart in life. This saying touches on the human desire to have everything at once: success, security, meaning, control.

Jacob believed he had to be someone else in order to receive the blessing. But his search for his own identity was far from over. His path led him away from home – and many years later back to the crucial question: Who am I really?

On the face of it, this is one of the simplest questions you can ask a person.

God grants man the freedom to choose – and with it the ability to determine his path anew time and again.

Why the stories of Cain, Moses, David and other biblical figures do not only tell of a world long past, but of fears, doubts, hopes and questions that have accompanied humanity to this day.