SAN DIEGO — The Torah portion read earlier today in synagogues was Vayishlach. Jacob wants to meet with his brother Esau. But Jacob fled from his home years ago to keep away from Esau. Jacob tricked his father into giving him the blessing his brother was supposed to receive. He stayed away because he knew how mad Esau was. But now, Jacob sends many cows, donkeys and sheep to his brother, hoping to make up for what he did.
When Jacob finds out Esau is coming with four hundred men, he panics. He divides his camp into two and sends the other half away to hide, just in case Esau attacks. That way at least half the people would survive.
Jacob stays behind by himself. A man, perhaps an angel, comes up to him and they wrestle all night. The stranger blesses Jacob and changes his name to Israel. In the morning, Jacob returns to his group and leads them forward. When Esau arrives, the brothers hug each other. All is forgiven.
The brothers part and Jacob returns to the spot where God talked to him before. God tells Jacob that his name is now Israel and that he will be the father of many nations. Shortly after this, Rachel gives birth to Benjamin, Jacob’s twelfth, and last son. Sadly, Rebecca dies in childbirth.
What this means: When Jacob tricked his father into giving him all the blessings that should have gone to Esau, he made his brother very, very angry. Instead of apologizing or trying to make things better, Jacob ran away from the problem he’d created. The longer he went without fixing things between himself and his brother, the bigger that problem grew in his mind. When he finally decided to meet with his brother to work things out, he discovered his brother was no longer mad at him. All that worry for nothing!
What you can do: If you do something that makes someone angry at you, especially if it is a family member or a good friend, talk to that person right away. Apologize and try to make things better. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to fix it.
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Marcia Berneger is a retired elementary school teacher. She loves writing stories for children. She is the author of such children’s books as Buster the Little Garbage Truck, and A Dreidel in Time.