By: Rabbi Shlomo Zargari
Shalom, it doesn’t take much to notice we live in volatile times. Everyone realizes these are dangerous times, both physically and spiritually. All of our nation is fearful of what they hear in the news and also what they see is happening to us from the religious aspect. But these are not any new occurrences. Throughout history we have had both. The times when the philosophers threatened our belief and the Karites and Shabetai Svi and Enlightenment to the Romans and Crusaders and Germans and Arabs and everything else between. Its all nothing new, Yaakov Avinu had it too. In the beginning of our Parasha when his brother Esav is coming to”greet” him with 400 men, he realized this is not a pleasant welcoming committee and that he and his family are in danger of body and soul. The Torah tell us that he was fearful (Bereshit 32,8). Our sages ask why was he afraid ? Did he not have a promise from Hashem that he will protect him ? The hachamim answer that he was” afraid, maybe the transgression will be the cause” meaning to say although he had the promise, maybe he sinned and that would remove the protection from him. He taught us its not Esav that kills, its the sin. Once a person sins, the enemy gains strength and… This is what we should be afraid of, from the sin and its outcome. The opposite is also true the more Misvot we perform, the more we perfect our character and of course, the more Torah we study, the more protection we have and less fear, Amen and Shabbat Shalom.
