Fear is an intensely powerful and natural human emotion. It takes many forms. Fear of harm or failure or disapproval, fear of loss or rejection. 

These fears can be debilitating obstacles to our success and growth, and to fulfilling our potential.

And yet sometimes fear is an entirely appropriate response to real threats. Sometimes it warns and protects us.

Where is the balance? And how do we rise above our fears so that we can truly flourish?

In this talk on Parshat Vayishlach, Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein explores Yaakov's encounter with Esav as the Torah's model for facing fear with clarity, dignity, and faith. 

When the Torah says "Yaakov was very afraid," the danger was real, and so was his fear.

But the Torah uses this moment to reveal a deep truth: there is a way to face fear without being ruled by it.

Yaakov responds with strategy, strength, and faith, and through his example, the Torah shows us the difference between fear that protects us and fear that holds us back.

Our Sages teach that courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it. Prayer becomes the training ground for trust. And the soul - light, strong, and purposeful - has the power to rise above the inertia and hesitation that come from the body.

This is a talk about fear, faith, and the quiet heroism of self-mastery. It is about discovering the courage that is already within us, and learning how to bring it forward.

Key Insights

• Fear is natural. The question is how do we face it.

• Yaakov's response: gifts, preparing for battle, prayer.

• Prayer trains us in trust. Pirkei Avot teaches faith through action.

• "Who is brave? One who conquers their inclination" (Pirkei Avot 4:1).

• Fear and laziness come from the body; courage comes from the neshama.

• "Be brave as a lion" - the Torah's call to spiritual courage (5:23 ).

• The Shulchan Aruch teaches: rise like a lion to serve Hashem. Lead the day.

• True bravery is overcoming inappropriate fear through self-mastery.