Vayishlach: confidence

When Jacob is blessed with his new name, Israel, he is being encouraged, he is given the medal of the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz.  Prior to the battle that dislocates his hip and denies filet minion to his descendants forever, Jacob express his humble appreciation for all the favor that has befallen him, all the grace that Gd has bestowed upon him.  He says that he is humbled, kataknti.  He means that he has spent his credits, Gd has paid, in full, for any kind ,obedient, and positive thing he may have done.  He deserves no more.  And he is frightened by his empty stores of divine credits.  He must confront his brother, who, when last seen, wanted to kill him, who is accompanied by a 400 man  armed regiment, and he is bankrupt in the Bank of Heaven.  Oy.  Jacob is terrified. 

Called upon to fight for his life, there is no choice, and Jacob prevails.  The Opponent says that his name will no longer be Jacob, but will now be:  "He Who Will Prevail  Over Power" - Yisroel.  He should discard his old name "Heel", a name that implied being stepped on, a name that evoked clinging to the last vestige of his far superior brother,  He would no longer be "Jew", who cowered before the Gentile;  He would now be the  Israeli who could stand up and overcome those who confronted him.  

But it did not stick.  He bowed before Esau, bought him off, and wiggled away from him,  Wining counts. 

When his daughter is raped, he remains silent,  Shimon and Levi, in their adolescent rage, avenge her and get the derision of their father ( for the rest of his life) as one of the spoils.  Jacob  is afraid of the United Nations of Canaan mobilizing against his small group.   He is afraid of the Pogroms.  And the fear is stoked by the guilt .  His sons had, indeed cleansed the area of the tribe of Shechem and Chamor. They could, rightly, expect retribution.  Just as Jacob recognized that there was some justice in Esau's claim  to anger after  being cheated  out of his blessing. 

The intelligent can usually see some just cause in the opposition's position.  The kind will find a way to justify the enemy: respect for other cultures can justify violent mysogyny, a history of  oppression can condone murder, etc.  These ideas are humbling, katanti.  They invalidate  self defense. 

"If the Gentile comes to strike you, bow your head and he may spare your life" I hope those days are over.   Personally, I would still bow  and find some way to defend his point of view.  Oy!