Here is a thread from my Covenant & Conversation essay on #Vayishlach. You can read it in full here: bit.ly/2R8b8dF & download the accompanying Family Edition here: bit.ly/2BpZCot. #ShabbatShalom
Moral dilemmas are situations in which doing the right thing is not the end of the matter. The conflict may be inherently tragic.
Jacob, in this parsha, finds himself trapped in such a conflict: on the one hand, he ought not allow himself to be killed; on the other, he ought not kill someone else; but he must do one or the other.
The fact that one principle (self-defence) overrides another (the prohibition against killing) does not mean that, faced with such a choice, he is without qualms, especially given the fact that Esau is his twin brother.
Despite their differences, they grew up together. They were kin. This intensifies the dilemma yet more. Sometimes being moral means that one experiences distress at having to make such a choice.
Doing the right thing may mean that one does not feel remorse or guilt, but one still feels regret or grief about the action that needs to be taken.
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