For the week of December 6, 2025 / 16 Kislev 5786

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Vayishlach
Torah: Bereshit/Genesis 32:4 – 36:43 (English: 32:3 – 36:43)
Haftarah: Hosea 11:7 – 12:12

And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’” (Bereshit/Genesis 32:10–13; English 32:9–12)

I would guess that, encountering this week’s title, “Blessed Fear,” apart from the accompanying verses, many biblically minded people would immediately think of Mishlie/Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” or 9:10: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” We don’t usually think of fear as a blessed thing, though we’re aware of the benefit of what we might call “healthy fear,” the emotion which, when heeded effectively, prevents us from unnecessary harm. That’s why most of us have learned not to play with matches, for example. But blessed fear? This is where the verses in Mishlei prove helpful. This is similar to healthy fear, for it’s this kind of fear that helps us not to treat God lightly and to show him appropriate respect.

However, this is not the type of fear I am talking about here. In this week’s parsha (weekly Torah reading portion), Jacob is returning to the Promised Land after about twenty years of living in Mesopotamia, where his mother was from. He had run away after tricking his father, Isaac, in order to acquire the blessing that normally would have been given to the firstborn, his twin brother Esau. This infuriated his brother, who vowed to kill him. After building a sizeable family and acquiring much livestock, he fell out of favor with his father-in-law, Laban. In the midst of this challenging situation, God called him back to Canaan. And so, he went, along with his wives, children, and livestock (see Bereshit/Genesis 31:1–3). On the way, he got word that Esau was heading his way with four hundred men. This is what led him to pray the prayer I quoted at the beginning. Jacob’s motive for praying such a prayer is stated in the request he makes, “Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him” (Bereshit/Genesis 32:12; English 32:9–11).

This is not Jacob’s first recorded interaction with God, but it is his first direct request, a request that results in one of the most dramatic, powerful, life-changing, and instructive encounters with God in all of Scripture, when he wrestles with God. It is this encounter that fundamentally transforms Jacob, and God changes his name to “Israel” (see Bereshit/Genesis 32:29; English 32:28). I don’t know whether it’s correct to say that Jacob’s transformation depended on his request, but his request did lead to this significant biblical and historical development.

But what was it that prompted his request? Fear. Fear isn’t exactly the most impressive emotion. We don’t like being afraid, and we don’t like it when we see it in others. We might empathize with others when they are afraid, but still, we regard it as a weakness. And much of the time it is. But it can also be a blessing.

Jacob was a brilliant strategist. He knew what he wanted and knew how to get it—until he didn’t. After many years of getting the upper hand in many situations, he had exhausted all his personal resources, and he was terrified. Yet, that wasn’t the end of the story. Despite his being in a most desperate situation, or should I say, because he was in a most desperate situation, he turned to the only one who was able to help him. He called out to God, who heard his prayer, and came through in a most remarkable way. His fear drove him to God.

It’s in cases such as this that fear can be a tool that reminds us of our need for God. We are afraid, because we rely on ourselves or on things that are insufficient for the challenges at hand. But if we use fear to sound the alarm against self-reliance and as a call for seeking the God of Israel, the result will be blessing.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version