Esau ran to meet him – Temple Israel

And Esau ran to meet him (Genesis 3:4)
וירץ עשו לקראתו (בראשית לג:ד)

Having decided after 22 years in Haran to return home to Canaan, Jacob sent a message to his brother Esau, who had once vowed to kill Jacob for the crime of stealing the blessing from Isaac. How would Esau respond? Was he still consumed with hatred and vitriol for Jacob or could the brothers reunite in peace. The answer Jacob received from his messengers is clear: “We came to your brother Esau, and he also comes to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” (Genesis 32:7) Esau does not need four hundred men to make peace, but his violent intentions were apparent to all. Yet, when the moment of truth arrives, rather than attacking Jacob, “Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept.” (33:4) Why did Esau have a sudden change of heart? While Rashi suggests that Esau experienced a sudden rush of compassion, a startling Midrash suggests that Esau changed his attitude towards Jacob for an entirely different reason. Rabbi Berechya suggests that, “…when God saw Jacob’s great distress, he sent four pairs of angels to make war with Esau throughout the night. When the first pair approached…they began to attack them. When Esau said, ‘I am Jacob’s brother!’ they left him alone in honor of Jacob. The same happened with the second, third and fourth pair…When Esau saw the damage that these angels had done to him and his men, he became fearful of Jacob his brother and left to greet him in peace.” (Midrash Tanchuma Kadum 7) According to the Midrash, Esau approached Jacob in peace when he recognized that rather than being weak, Jacob had great strength, backed by powerful forces willing to assist him in his time of need. Shabbat Shalom