In this week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach captures the events of the day. When the portion starts, Esau, Jacob’s brother, is still angry. Esau is looking to kill Jacob and his family, and he has the backing of 400 soldiers to do so. Verse 8, in the first Aliyah, says that Jacob was afraid and distressed. As Rashi explains the fear was that Jacob and his family might be harmed, the distress was that with a battle Jacob could be forced to kill another. Both emotions were equal.

This explanation from Rashi was amplified by Prime Minister Golda Meir, “We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children, but we can never forgive them for forcing us to kill their children.” This is perhaps the most painful element of the current war with Hamas.

Shabbat Shalom,

R. Eli Sneiderman