by Rabbi Avi Billet
Yaakov sends messengers to Eisav telling Eisav his story about
having lived with Lavan and having amassed wealth. Perhaps Yaakov is indicating
his intent to put the past behind them. “I am happy to share my wealth with
you, and I hope you are well. I am your servant." It could be Yaakov hopes
not to see Eisav at all.
The messengers come back with the news that “we ‘came’ to
your brother, to Eisav, and he is ‘going’ to you accompanied by 400 men.” Alshikh
explains “coming” implies closeness – how Yaakov’s servants intended to
approach Eisav - while “going” implies distance, perhaps indicating the attitude Eisav was
bringing to his encounter with Yaakov.
Where was Eisav coming from? Some suggest he was at home,
with no intent to come until he heard Yaakov was on his way (Sforno, Ibn Ezra)
But what was his intent? This is unclear: he’s simply “coming” (Ramban); he’s
coming to fight because he hates you (Rashi and many others); he is happy about
your return and is bringing 400 men to honor you (Rashbam, Chizkuni).
Certainly the indication of the verse is that Rashbam and
Chizkuni are correct, and that the fear of battle was all in Yaakov’s mind. The
encounter certainly includes no ill intentions, Eisav greets Yaakov warmly with
hug and kiss, as he is gracious and magnanimous.
Why then was Yaakov afraid?
He may have been fearful for his life, or as Rashi, etc
suggest, he had a concern either that he would be killed, or that he'd be
forced to take a life in self-defense.
But the man had been promised by God that He would protect
him and return him home safely! Where is Yaakov's faith in God?
If Adino HaEtzni (Shmuel II 23:8) killed 800 men by
himself! Yaakov, who fought with an angel, is afraid of 400 men?! (R Chaim
Paltiel)
The Midrash tells in the name of Resh Lakish and Rav Yanai
that each of the 400 men was a “man” like
Eisav – in charge of 400 men each. This suggests he had at least 160,000
people. This is reason to fear.
There are other suggestions of why Yaakov feared: Eisav had
merits from honoring his father, Yaakov hadn’t fulfilled his promise to tithe
in Beit El, or what Toldot Yitzchak suggests, that if Eisav seems to be coming
to attack Yaakov, it must mean Yitzchak is dead. The fear that Yaakov is then
experiencing is that he will never see his father again.
Of course, the most likely reason for Yaakov's fear follows
that of the Chizkuni – the fear comes from the unknown – Yaakov did not know if
Eisav's intentions are good or bad.
And this confusion is noted in Yaakov's language when he
says, “Please save me from my brother, from Eisav” meaning, he is pretending to
be my brother, but he remains Eisav the hunter and trapper.
I don't think we have to look at Yaakov's fear from the
perspective of the numbers. On paper Goliath should have defeated David. On
paper Israel should not have defeated Arab armies in most of the wars they
fought. And yet, the unexpected happened, and the underdog survived the
conflicts.
Fear doesn't come from numbers. It comes from the unknown.
Eisav may have nice intentions. And maybe, in the end, the
niceness comes out. But the bottom line is that it cannot be assumed.
Preparation needs to be made for the worst. Because, too often, the worst turns
out to be the reality. Eisav, unfortunately, is unpredictable. We don't know
what he is thinking.
We may be “coming” with love and with the dove of peace,
but Eisav may still be “going” to his own destination, irrespective of where we
stand on that journey.
When random people are murdered or stabbed in Israel simply because
the attackers view all Jews as aggressors who deserve this physical assault,
the fear that emerges from those at a bus station or a train station is that of
the unknown. Will anything happen today?
Yaakov needs to carry his fears, because he does not know
what his adversary is thinking or has going for him: the other side may be more
worthy in the eyes of God, maybe we haven’t kept our promises to God, maybe
we’ve strayed so far from our Father in Heaven that he is “dead” to us. We must
take precautions that these not become true for us. Recommit to God, keep our
word.
For the sake of survival, our brothers and sisters in
Israel and around the world surely must subscribe to the fear Rashi ascribes to
Yaakov, “That I will be forced to kill someone in self-defense” – as Golda Meir
articulated when she said, “We can forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but
we can’t forgive them for forcing us to kill their sons.”
But the rule of “when one comes to kill you, you must rise
to kill him first” is essential for survival. Without it, we are all sitting
ducks.
The Kli Yakar summarized Yaakov’s thought process: "May
Hashem be with me and protect me from those who show themselves to be helpers
and loved ones but who truly have hatred embedded in their hearts."
Facing the unknown can be frightening, even for the
God-fearing, and even for those who are righteous in their ways. But when we
feel those we encounter harbor hatred in their hearts, it becomes our
challenge, like Yaakov, to be prepared for the worst, while we continue to hope
for the best.
No comments:
Post a Comment