Latest update: December 11th, 2012 Jacob and Esau are about to
meet again after a separation of 22 years. It is a fraught
encounter. Once, Esau had sworn to kill Jacob as revenge for
what he saw as the theft of his blessing. Will he do so now, or
has time healed the wound? Jacob sends messengers to let his
brother know he is coming. They return, saying that Esau is
coming to meet Jacob with a force of 400 men. We then read:
“Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed” (Genesis 32:8).
The question is obvious. Jacob is in the grip of strong
emotions. But why the duplication of verbs? What is the
difference between fear and distress? To this a midrash gives a
profound answer: Rabbi Judah bar Ilai asked whether fear and
distress are identical. The meaning, however, is that he was
“afraid” that he might be killed and that he was “distressed”
that he might kill. For Jacob thought that if he prevails
against me, will he not kill me? If I prevail against him, will
I not kill him? That is the meaning of “he was grea