In the course of the portion we read this morning, Jacob overcame his fears and came out unharmed. Our portion this week tells the story of how Jacob fought with and beat the angel who came to attack him. I believe that within this story we can find good advice about how to overcome fear and gain confidence. First of all, Rashbam, an early French commentator says that the angel was sent by G-d to make sure that Jacob would not run away. The worst and most cowardly thing to do when one has a problem is to run away.
Many people love to run away from all their troubles.
Many people have difficulty admitting to certain problems they may have. Many people run away from their parents or their children because they cannot deal with certain issues which come up. This is a big mistake. The worst way to deal with problems. A second mistake which people make is that they simply accept their problem as is.