A 90 second sermon for Vayishlach from Rabbi Miriam Lorie!
In a tight spot as he approaches the potentially dangerous Esav, our ancestor Yaakov (Jacob) feels multiple fears. Rashi helps us to unpack them - he is scared not just about being killed, but about coming to himself kill others.
Now you might say that any killing he would do would be in self defence, but Siftei hachamim, the super- commentary on Rashi gets even more granular: what if he comes to kill Esav's men who were never there to pursue him, but rather were in pursuit of his own men?
Our tradition is deeply sensitive to where violence is justified, and Yaakov here teaches us that we should feel distressed at the idea of harming others, just as much as the fear of ourselves being harmed.
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