I had hoped to have this ready by Shabbat, but it did not work out.
Leaving it in as a placeholder for next year. Meanwhile, take a look at these facts:
The phrase, “al tira” (do not fear), appears 3 times in the Haftarah, in short succession (verses 10, 13, 14).
In all of Sefer Breishit, it appears 3 times only. Once for Avraham (that is a connection to the Haftarah), once for Yitzchak, and once for Yaakov.
The rest of this post, when it is written, will explain why the popular song / motto “מי שמאמין לא מפחד” (whoever is a believer is not afraid) is not supported by the Torah at all. We might even say, “Whoever is a believer is afraid. Very afraid. So much so that G-d has to reassure him.”
What are they afraid about? Esp. Avraham, who is told “do not fear” immediate after his battle with the 4 kings?
More to come…