December 1-2, 2017 - 14 Kislev 5778
Shabbat Vayishlach
Torah Reading: Genesis
32:4 - 36:43 / Haftarah Reading: Obadiah 1:1-21
“Facing Our Fears”
Dear Friends,
How do we face our fears in society, in relationships,
in life? I recall an episode of the
Oprah Winfrey Show discussing this. The
consensus was that there is no way to go around it, under it, over it. The only way to confront difficult situations
is to go through it.
In this week’s Torah portion, Jacob is about to
return to the Land of Israel and soon he will meet is estranged brother
Esau. On the night before the meeting,
Jacob wrestles with a mysterious being, an angel perhaps, who injures his
hamstring so that he limps for the rest of his life. What is the meaning of this?
Rabbi Samuel ben Meir put it this way: “Actually,
Jacob was frightened of meeting his brother.
Fearing what Esau might do to him and his community, Jacob was about to
flee. God saw this and sent the angel to
prevent Jacob from running away. He
injured the hollow of his thigh because he wanted Jacob to know that he should
have shown greater faith and that no one can flee from God.”
The only way to deal with difficult and frightening
situations is to meet them head on and go through them. With tenacity and good judgment, hopefully,
we come through whole and strengthened, wiser and more knowledgeable for the
future.
Shabbat Shalom.
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