A Drasha on Va-Yishlakh applied to modern Israel

I want to share with you the drasha that our rabbi, Israel Horovitz, delivered last night. I do not have the Hebrew original, and the English translation I have is rather rough, so I will instead be paraphrasing what he said somewhat. Anyway, here it is:

"וישלח יעקב מלאכים לפניו אל-עשו אחיו"
"And Yaakov sent angels (or messengers--the Hebrew word is the same) before him to Esav, his brother"

Yaakov sends a delegation of conciliation to his brother Esav, with the idea of ending the problems that exist between them.

The commentators say that the delegation really did consist of actual angels, not merely messengers (as one might be more inclined to read it). This is to teach us that if we really want peace we cannot be satisfied with common envoys, who have personal interests and cannot come to good terms. To obtain peace, angels, without envies, hates, and jealousies are needed.

Yaakov's peace envoys return and tell him that his brother, Esav, is coming to the meeting with 400 men. It is quite clear that Esav does not have any intention of carrying out a festive celebration to receive Yaakov. With such an army, he comes to show who he is.

Yaakov is afraid, and the situation hurts him.

Yaakov is in a state of fear and anxiety, and he prays that God will save him from his brother, Esav.

Yaakov has a more complex situation before him than fear of his brother. He is afraid of being killed and is distressed for having to kill; his quandary is moral.

What are the consequences of a war? Either you are killed or you kill.

This is especially anguishing when on the other side is a brother.

Yaakov prays: "Save me from the hands of my brother, from Esav, since I don't know if I'm going to meet Esav, an enemy who wants my life, or my brother." And if I kill him or he kills me, either way our parents are going to lose a son!

Is not this dilemma of Yaakov the big quandary of the State of Israel?

Here we come to the situation where the question always is: to kill or to be killed.

Either we kill the Arabs, Semites as are we, or they kill us.

In this land we have lived for many years with this terrible problem.

Yaakov summarizes all this in his prayer: "I am very poor in ideas to be able to apply Goodness and Truth together."

Truth says: "If someone comes to kill you, go ahead of him, and kill him first."

It is impossible to act with silk gloves with Esav when he comes to your meeting with an army of 400 men.

But Goodness says to us: "Do not kill, do not spill blood, do not make war."

Yaakov says that he is very poor in ideas to be able to apply Goodness and Truth, since he is not capable of deciding which one precedes the other.

Both together cannot be applied.

שבת שלום Shabbat Shalom!