A Taste of Torah in honor of Shabbat
from Rabbi Avi Weiss

Parshat Va-Yishlah
December 4-5, 1998 / 16 Kislev 5759

As he flees his brother Esav (Esau),  Yaakov (Jacob) is promised by God that he would return safely to Canaan.  (Genesis 28:15)  One wonders then, why, in this week's portion, is Yaakov afraid? (32:8) Doesn't Yaakov's fear reflect a lack of belief in God?

Isaac Abrabanel (Spain, 15th century) suggests that fear is a sign of neither cowardice nor weakness.  It is simply part of the human dimension, a feeling that, like all feelings, is neither right nor wrong-it just is.  A person who is afraid should not be judged harshly. For who among us has never been afraid?

The real question is, "what do we do when we're afraid?"  Do we become immobilized, unable to go forward, or do we gather strength in an attempt to meet the challenges that lie ahead?  Feelings may be involuntary but actions can be controlled.

Thus, Yaakov's fear is understandable-it's part of the human condition. Yaakov's greatness was his preparedness to act contrary to his natural feelings; to come back to Canaan even though it meant confronting Esav.

Abrabanel, who was involved in the political world of Spain, instinctively felt that fear could not be overcome, it could only be dealt with through involvement.  As a man of deeds he understood the inevitability of fear-and its only antidote- action.

The late Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik approaches the issue of fear differently. Everyone, suggests Rav Soloveitchik, is beset with fears of some kind or another.  Some are afraid they will not succeed in their careers, others fear losing wealth or status, and still others are afraid of sickness, bodily weakness or poverty.

Such fears may be utterly wiped out by a greater fear.  That fear is the fear of the Lord.  From his prison cell in Chistopol , Natan Sharansky wrote that an idea in the Book of Psalms helped him defy the KGB-"the beginning of wisdom is to fear the lord." (Psalms, 111:10)

For Rav Soloveitchik, the higher fear of God removes the lesser fears that invariably affect every human being.  From this perspective, even the fear of God is not a stern attribute of the Almighty, it is rather an expression of God's love of all people.   After all, a fear of God is able to quash other fundamental human fears.

Perhaps, it can be suggested that even for Rav Soloveitchik, lesser fears can never be completely overcome as one's belief in God is never perfect.  Even the greatest believers may have some infinitesimal doubt.  Hence, even the great Yaakov, on some level, was afraid.

Rav Nahman of Bratslav once said, "the whole world is a very narrow bridge, but the main thing is not to be afraid at all."  Rav Nahman may not have meant that fear can be overcome.  Rather he was suggesting that we not act afraid, or that we allow the higher fear of God to assuage our lesser fears.

SHABBAT SHALOM

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Rabbi Avi Weiss, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale
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