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Why was Yaakov afraid despite HaKadosh Baruch Hu's promise to protect him, and why was he distressed he might kill Esav in self-defense? The shiur resolves the apparent contradiction between "shema yigrom hachet" and unconditional divine promises by distinguishing unilateral prophecy from covenant relationships. Yaakov's middah of emes means he seeks earned reward through relationship with Hashem (ה׳), not undeserved gifts—which explains both his fear and his approach to Esav.
The shiur opens with Rashi (רש"י)'s famous comment on Parshas Vayishlach: "Vayira Yaakov me'od vayetzer lo"—Yaakov feared he might be killed by Esav, and was distressed he might have to kill Esav. The Rishonim (Mizrachi, Ramban (רמב"ן)) ask two fundamental questions. First, why was Yaakov afraid? HaKadosh Baruch Hu had promised him explicitly in last week's parsha: "I will guard you wherever you go and return you to this land; I will not abandon you until I fulfill all I have spoken." Rashi answers: "shema yigrom hachet"—perhaps sin would cause him to lose the protection. Second, why was Yaakov distressed about potentially killing Esav? The halacha (הלכה) is clear: "haba lehorgecha, hashkem lehargo"—if someone comes to kill you, preemptively kill him first. What was there to be distressed about? The Gemara (גמרא) in Berachos 7a establishes a principle: "Kol dibur v'dibur she'yotzei mipi HaKadosh Baruch Hu letovah, afilu al tnai, eino chozer"—any divine promise for good, even if stated conditionally, is never retracted. Moshe Rabbeinu was told "I will destroy the Jewish people and make you into a great nation," yet even after the Jews were spared, HaKadosh Baruch Hu fulfilled that promise through Moshe's descendants. This creates a fundamental contradiction: how can we say "shema yigrom hachet" (sin nullifies promises) when the Gemara teaches that divine promises for good are irrevocable?
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Bereishis 32:8 (Parshas Vayishlach)
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