Torah Portion of the Week
Building Character through the Themes of the Weekly Torah Portion
וַיִּשְׁלַח יַעֲקֹב מַלְאָכִים לְפָנָיו אֶל־עֵשָׂו אָחִיו אַרְצָה שֵׂעִיר שְׂדֵה אֱדוֹם׃
Va-yish-lach Ya-a-kov mal-a-khim l’fa-nav el–E-sav a-chiv ar-tzah Se-ir s’deh E-dom.
And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of Edom.
Genesis 32:4
Vayishlach means “and he sent.” When Jacob journeyed back to Canaan after a 20-year stay in Charan, he sent messengers ahead to Esau with a message of reconciliation. When they returned with the news that Esau was coming with 400 men, he immediately responded with extreme fear and worry. Fearing that Esau would carry out his plan of vengeance and kill him, he came up with a three-fold plan: war (Gen. 32:8–9), prayer (Gen. 32:10–13), and appeasement (Gen. 32:14–22).
Jacob then sent his family and possessions across the Jabbok River while he remained behind and encountered a “man” with whom he wrestled until dawn. He survived and prevailed, and received the blessing of a new name: Yisrael (“Israel”), meaning “to struggle with God.”
Transform Fear
In spite of Jacob’s inner fears and worries, he overcame and prevailed.
We all experience levels of fear and the internal struggles that come with it—disappointment, depression, hurt, and pain. Fear imposes mind-numbing negativity and causes your mind to think of worst-case scenarios. It clouds your awareness and distracts you from seeing the whole picture. If you let it, it will break your focus and even stop you from making the changes that will improve your life; it will dash your hopes and dreams, and hinder your promotion. Fear makes your feelings and emotions unstable, and sometimes you even forget that there is joy, happiness, hope, laughter, and excitement.
Confronting fear is an essential step to overcoming it and becoming whole. It is ok to feel fear, but it is not ok to give into it.
One way to curtail fear is to stop self-examination; don’t analyze yourself, and don’t let anyone else analyze you.
Another way to curtail fear is by taking the focus off of yourself and focusing on someone else. If someone you know is experiencing fear, you can be a great source of help to them because you already understand what it means to be in fear. Help them by standing up as a strong person and doing what’s right; think about their needs and meet them to the best of your ability. If they are worried because they don’t have enough money for groceries, maybe you have the means to make them a meal or have groceries delivered to their home. If they are afraid that they are going to lose their job, put in a good word for them, if you are able. The list goes on and on.
Positively Powerful
Do your best to reject fear and worry, and counteract it by thinking about something positive—because in almost every situation, you can see something positive. Don’t let your thoughts become the catalyst for fear and worry. Evil has no power when you give it no thought. Focus on faith and do your best to overcome your fear with joy. Think about the good things that God has done for you and the victories that He has given you in the past. There is power in positive memory. Use your memory to produce positive effects.
Replace wrong thinking with the thoughts that God has about you, because what He says and thinks about you is good. He doesn’t want you to be in fear. He doesn’t want your mind to be weighed down with fearful thoughts. Thoughts have a presence. Identify negative thoughts at the onset. Your mind is capable of turning them around. You, like Jacob, can find the strength within you to overcome and prevail.
Pronunciation Guide for Transliterated Hebrew Words
| a | [a] as in arm |
| ai | [ai] as in Thailand |
| e | [e] as in red |
| ei | [ei] as in eight |
| i | [i] as in ski |
| o | [o] as in score |
| oi | [oi] as in oil |
| u | [u] as in rule |
| ui | [ui] as in gluing |
| ch/kh | [ch] as in the Scottish loch |
| g | [g] as in good (not as in giant) |
| tz | [ts] as in hats |
| ‘ | short “eh” or “uh” sound |
The Hebrew Scriptures in this text have been derived from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC), and the English translation is based off of the JPS 1917 Tanakh.
Simchat Torah Beit Midrash®
