פרשת וישלח

In this week’s parsha, parshat וישלח,  it tells us יעקב  is meeting up with עשיו  after not seeing him

for 35 years. יעקב  sends messengers to tell עשיו  he wants to meet up with him but the messengers

see עשיו  is trying to plan a war. יעקב  then sends gifts to עשיו  in order for him to stop the war. During the night, יעקב  meets the angel and battles him and injures his hip. Because of this he is named ישראל  which gives us the name of בני ישראל.  Later, יעקב  meets עשיו  and they make peace with a kiss. רחל  later dies in childbirth with בנימין.  After all of this,ראובן  is told he lost the right as the first born because he interfered with יעקבs love life. The parsha ends by telling us about עשיו  and his wives and children and what he was doing at the time and where he was doing everything.

In parshat וישלח  it tells us that יעקב  is afraid. Wasn't he already afraid to meet his brother before? So why is it telling us that he is afraid once again? Shouldn't we already know that someone should be afraid to meet their brother again when they haven't seen each other in many many years and you know he wants to kill you? Any person would be scared, so why tell us again?
In pasukח  Rashi teaches us, ויירא ויצר:  that יעקב  was not afraid to meet his brother rather that his brother would kill him or even worse, his family. Since עשיו  had an army with him יעקב  feared for the life of his family. יעקב  hadn't seen עשיו  in years so he could have been plotting this attack for who knows how long, now that he knows where יעקב  was he could get his revenge on him. But as we go along in the parsha we find out that יעקב  and עשיו  make up and no one gets killed.
One can learn from this episode of “fear” that in the end all the fear in the world will not change the end result. Of course, one needs to take effort in protecting themselves but in the end, one has to have emunah in Hashem, because ultimately, it is in his hands.

Shabbat Shalom,

Emma Zayat and Leora Dallas