Parashat Vayishlah 5770
The Profound Word
Howard S. Joseph
http://TheProfoundWord.com
In memory of Marguerite Maschich, after thirty days.
In memory of Yvonne Lawee, after thirty days.
THE FEAR OF FEAR ITSELF
Gen. 32 4. Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
5. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall you speak to my lord Esau; Your servant Jacob said thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now;
6. And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and women servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.
7. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to your brother Esau, and also he comes to meet you, and four hundred men with him.
8. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed….
Jacob the peacemaker has finished with Laban and now must deal with his greatest challenge, his brother, Esau. But can we deem his dealings with Laban as a major success? On the one hand we can say that they finally made peace. On the other, it seems that Jacob’s strategy was faulty. He slipped away trying to avoid a confrontation but that only angered Laban. Before finishing their peace deal there are harsh words all around as a result of Jacob’s actions. These are necessary to clear the air and to make peace. But, maybe they could have been avoided with a different initial strategy of revealing to Laban his intentions.
So, Jacob does not slip quietly back into Canaan. He advises Esau of his return. When he hears of Esau’s approach with a major army he becomes greatly afraid and distressed.
Let’s see how Neziv understands this moment.
…He did not feel secure… for he feared that maybe his prayer was not accepted. Therefore, his heart was fearful that he had to protect himself from Esau….[HD]
[HRD] Nevertheless, after all the explanations in [Midrash] Rabbah that this was not a correct strategy [by which to confront Esau] ? the Blessed Holy One overturned Jacob’s plans and he fell into the trap.
So we must deepen the discussion. After Jacob saw that he was unsuccessful in that he hid his departure from Laban, and it would have been better if he had revealed his plans to him, he now decided to be open with Esau. But here too he was unsuccessful. It would have been better [in regard to Esau] if he had hidden his plans from him until he arrived to [his father] Isaac.
This is hinted at in Deuteronomy when Moses says that God advises: enough circling around this mountain; now turn northwards…. The interpretation is that it is difficult to support any openness with Esau. So, therefore, hide yourselves as much as possible….
Jacob wants peace, but he does not yet know how to achieve it. He misjudges both of his principal adversaries and devises incorrect strategies to confront them. Are his mistakes a matter of poor beginner’s luck? Naivete? Why does he mess up? Why cannot he get it right?
Esau’s silence does not help.
…he comes to meet you, and four hundred men with him.?
[HD] as you anticipated in your test: if he is not pacified we can assume he will make war.. Yes, he is going out to battle…. From the [four hundred men] we can infer why he is on the move. For really Esau said nothing to them in the way of the ancient kings who in their arrogance said nothing to anyone not of their rank.
Jacob must make inferences and assumptions as to the motives of Esau. There is thus room for error.
Here Neziv offers a penetrating psychological insight. Jacob is portrayed as doubly afraid: greatly afraid and distressed.
Fear entered his heart. From the fact that fear did enter his heart he became [even more] distressed, for he understood that he was now in trouble. Furthermore, he was distressed about the entire effort [to reach out to Esau]. He understood it was a mistake… and only stirred up troubles for himself. [HD]
[HRD] This is the meaning of the verse in Samuel I [17:24]: And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man [Goliath], fled from him, and were greatly afraid.
Logically, it should say the opposite: they feared and then they fled. But this is the meaning: they fled from him and this caused them to be more fearful of the actual war for they thought that no good ending was possible. This is certainly true of a natural war… unless something miraculous occurs as did at the end with Goliath. Despite their broken spirits they triumphed through a miracle. However, in a natural manner this does not happen.
Similarly, Jacob was greatly distressed from the fear he felt. King David [in Psalms] said: Remove my shame for I feared…. For it is shameful that those who trust in God should be fearful. For it says: the one who trusts in God will be lifted. The Prophet Isaiah further says:
I, I myself, am he who comforts you; who are you, that you should be afraid of a man who shall die, and of the son of man who shall be made as grass, and have forgotten the Lord your maker, who has stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy; and where is the fury of the oppressor? [51:12, 13.]
According to Neziv it was Jacob’s fear that played a big role in his poorly managed strategies for survival and to make peace. He fears that his prayers may not be answered; he fears confronting Laban with his desire to leave; he fears his gifts to Esau will not be received; he fears Esau’s silence; and, finally he fears his fears. He realizes that his fears are crippling him. He is dysfunctional because of excessive fear.
Jacob, the innocent man of the tents, had never learned to deal with fear. Most probably, Esau, the hunter, the man of the fields, had much better experience in these matters. Jacob will have to learn to conquer his fears in order to survive, to plan properly and find peace. It will not be easy. The man of faith must have faith and proceed confidently forward.
With this realization he is liberated. Jacob devises a plan:
so he divided the people who were with him and the flocks and the cattle and the camels into two camps. And he said, “If Esau comes to one camp and strikes it down, the remaining camp will escape.”
Rashi explains, based on various midrashim:
the remaining camp will escape: Against his [Esau's] will, for I will wage war with him. He (Jacob) prepared himself for three things: for a gift, for war, and for prayer. For a gift, [as Scripture says] (verse 22): So the gift passed on before him. For prayer, [as Scripture says] (verse 10): God of my father Abraham. For war, [as Scripture says]: the remaining camp will escape.
No longer does Jacob lower himself before Esau as ‘your servant’. He will no longer assume only one possible scenario. He is preparing for a variety of possibilities. He is becoming a man of action, a strategist whose children will have to learn from him to survive numerous fearsome encounters in their history. They cannot let fear paralyze them. The wages of fear itself lead to disaster.
Neziv’s profound insight is certainly justified in the text. Was there anything else on his mind? Was this a time when fear began to enter Jewish life in the modern period? Fear of modernity? Fear of total assimilation? Fear of change and those who advocated changes in Jewish life and practice?
Fear is necessary to recognize danger. But it is not enough just to be afraid and cripple our creativity and ingenuity; to withdraw helplessly and freeze our hearts and minds.. The real believers must proceed wisely, cautiously and confidently. As Neziv often says: the deeds of the Ancestors are signs for the descendants.
Profound words for today.
Shabbat Shalom
Kislev 18, 5770
December 5, 2009