The Cure for Worry!

Stop Being Jewish!

Jacob has a lot to worry about in Parsha VaYishlach. His arch-nemesis, Esau, is on his way to annihilate and slaughter every Jew he can find.

With all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, Esau’s entourage of a staggering 160,000 warriors crushes any ambiguity to his malevolent intentions.

Jacob was not just afraid, he was “VERY AFRAID!” (Genesis 32:8)

Yet despite this, Jacob goes to sleep. Twice (ibid. 14&22).

We have no record of Abraham or Isaac ever sleeping, even though it was undoubtedly part of their regular activities. The Torah is making a point.

Those words were said by Winston Churchill. Not on Victory Day in 1945, but in December 1941. A good two years into World War Two.

Despite immense casualties to come, fierce fighting and brutal battles, nevertheless, with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Churchill knew the war was over.

For sure, Churchill would (and probably did) have a good night’s sleep on May 8, 1945, but if you have to wait until what you worry about is over, then you will always be filled with worry. Because, not long after V-Day, the cold war started and thus came the threat of nuclear annihilation!

You don’t need me to tell you how ruinous worry is to your life, so here’s the Torah trick:

Stop being Jewish!

And go to sleep!

It is no coincidence that everyone who worries cannot sleep.

I know, easy to say. So here’s the insight. The Hebrew word for sleep is the same word for complaining (Exodus 17:3).

That’s because the essence of complaining is giving up. And giving up is at the essence of sleep.

The reason complaining is so annoying is because, deep down, the complainer desperately wants to give up. And they need your validation for their hopelessness, so that they can justify their abdication. However, if you empathize with their pessimism, you’ll be implicitly surrendering as well. And you’re not ready to give it up yet.

Sleep too, is an ever so slight touch of surrendering life. As long as we hold on to the activity of the day, then we cannot fall asleep. You have to let go, just a little, in order to doze off.

This might surprise you, but the hardest thing for a human being to do, is to give up.

I know what you are going to say, you have a cousin who gave up and is a big-time-loser and frequent visitor to the local drug rehab center. But it’s not true, he didn’t give up. That’s why he needs the drugs - he wants to give up, but he can’t.

Real giving up, walking away and being at peace with the idea that you cannot succeed, is really really difficult.

Especially for Jews.

And it frustrates antisemites all over the world.

Despite 76 years of brutal, barbaric and constant terrorism, we have not given up on Israel. Nor are we even close.

Despite a Holocaust, pogroms galore and endless abuse and discrimination.

Jews don’t give up!

And our enemies are shocked, because they think that we think like them; and they would have given up!

Clearly, this is a curse and a blessing.

Because as many have joked, being Jewish means to worry. And that’s the type of Jewish trait we need to stop.

It’s a tremendous blessing to master your worry. Follow the path of Winston Churchill (who wasn’t very Jewish) who, in the middle of England’s near-demise, went to sleep.

It takes practice, but if you want to sleep the sleep of the saved and thankful, listen to Jacob, take a few hours, and give it up.

And let God.