Another matter, “Jacob was very frightened and distressed” – Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai said: The fright and the distress are not the same.4It would have been enough to write one of them. One who fears, is in distress. Rather, he was frightened lest he kill, and distressed lest he be killed. He said: ‘If he overcomes me, he will kill me, and if I overcome him, I will kill him.’
That is: He was frightened lest he kill, and distressed lest he be killed. He said: ‘All these years, he [Esau] has been residing in the Land of Israel; say that he comes against me5Maybe he will be able to overcome me. by virtue of his residence in the Land of Israel. All these years, he has been residing and honoring his parents; say that he comes against me by virtue of his honoring father and mother, as so he said: “The days of mourning for my father will approach” (Genesis 27:41).
Say that this old man died and he will come against me to kill me.’6This is another explanation for the distress of Jacob. The fear was of Esau, the distress was from the thought that maybe his father had died. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: This is what the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Return to the land of your fathers, to the land of your birth” (Genesis 31:3). Say that the stipulations7The stipulations that Jacob made when he departed for Padan Aram.
See Genesis 28:20–22. were until here: “And He will protect me on this path” (Genesis 28:20), and not beyond that.8Maybe the promise for protection ended when he reached the land of his fathers. Rabbi Yudan said: The Omnipresent said to him: “Return to the land of your fathers,” but nevertheless, “Jacob was very frightened”? Rather, from here [we learn] that there is no promise to the righteous in this world.9Promises made are conditional on righteous behavior, thus the righteous may fear that they have sinned in such a way that they have lost the guarantee of protection that they received (Etz Yosef).
Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: “Behold, I am with you” (Genesis 28:15); “if God will be with me”? (Genesis 28:20). Rather, from here [we learn] that there is no promise to the righteous in this world. Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: “He said: For I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12) and nothing evil will harm you,10This is implied by the fact that God said that He would be with Moses. and it is written: “It was on the way, in the lodging, [the Lord encountered him and sought to kill him]” (Exodus 4:24).
Rather, there is no promise to the righteous in this world. Rabbi Pinḥas said in the name of Rabbi Ḥanin of Tzippori: “Benayahu son of Yehoyada answered the king and said: “Amen; and so may the Lord, God of my lord the king, say” (I Kings 1:36).11This was said in responsed to David's decree to anoint Solomon as king. But is it not already stated: “Behold, a son is born to you, he will be a man of rest” (I Chronicles 22:9)12The son mentioned in the verse is Solomon. – rather, he said: ‘Many adversaries may arise from here to Giḥon.’