Yaakov prepared for combat with Esav at the beginning of this week’s Torah portion of Vayishlach. Fearing the worst, he split up his camp, prayed to Hashem for salvation, and sent a peace envoys ‘with giftsto try to divert the incoming attack of Esav and his 400 mightiest warriors. The Torah portion begins: “Yaakov sent angels ahead of him to his brother Esav, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom. And he commanded them, saying: “So shall you say to my master to Esav, ‘Thus said your servant Yaakov, “I have sojourned with Lavan, and I have tarried until now. And I have acquired oxen and donkeys, flocks, manservants, and maidservants, and I have sent to tell [this] to my master, to find favor in your eyes’ ” (Breishis 32:4-6).
The Ralbag learns a very fascinating
lesson from this initial confrontation. He says: “It is befitting for one who
has someone who hates him and he wants to remove the hatred from him, that he
should come close to him with all his might and tell him some personal news. In
this way he is bringing their hearts closer by not hiding anything. The point
being that a person only informs his loved ones of personal news and hides it
from his haters. With this, if so, by making a foundation in his heart that he
is a loved one, and breaking his heart, you will remove the hatred from him.
For this reason Yaakov sent messengers to Esav to inform him about what had
happened to him in order to calm his heart that he is a loved one.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
There was an obvious rift between Esav and Yaakov. Esav wanted to kill Yaakov
at some point for “stealing” the birthright and blessings. He even sent his son
to do the duty many years before, but his son only took all of Yaakov’s
possessions which left him penniless and utterly embarrassed because he had no
gifts in hand when he met his bride to be, Rochel, at the well. Granted that
now he is trying to appease him, but how is it humanly possible to treat your
enemy as your loved one by giving him personal information which most people
wouldn’t divulge to a random stranger off the street, no less a sworn enemy?
It would seem that Yaakov, though apprehensive and ready to prepare for battle
if need be, sincerely felt brotherly love, and sent a delegation to talk with
Esav in a manner that only two loving friends or family would engage in.
Real sincerity must have been there, if it was to be successful in removing the
hatred from Esav’s heart. It was not an allusion or trick, because people can
see right through that. Indeed, it also seems from this Ralbag that, on the
contrary, a person who hates another cannot simply tell his enemy
personal information. There is something innately blocking him from doing that,
and therefore by telling that information it demonstrates sincerity, which can
melt the heart of your enemy.
The fact that the Ralbag brings this as a lesson shows us that this can be done
by anyone, not just a Yaakov Avinu. As hard as it is to go over to someone with
whom you are not on good terms and start engaging in small talk and treating
him or her like your friend, if one can muster up the will and power to do so,
then inevitably it will remove hatred from his or her heart, because you are
sincerely showing love towards that person.