I, myself, have built up fences of self-defense. In either case my self-esteem is on the line. Years of fence-building leave little time for listening to the Still Small Voice. Yet I am not safe behind such fences. If I travel on the wings of dawn or dwell at the end of the world, there too Your hand will rest upon me and Your right hand will seize me.
Consequences can destroy a human relationship, and undermine our self-image.
They can also desecrate the Name of God, casting a shadow over our relationship. This fear is called yirat ha-onesh, the fear of punishment. Such fear must have prompted tremendous anxiety in the hearts and minds of our ancestors. Sacrifice gave the ancients a way to reconcile themselves before a demanding God. Autonomous individuals, swimming in the ambivalence of freedom, we find ourselves terribly anxious.