"I have been diminished (katanti) by all the kindness and by all the truth that You have done Your servant; for with my staff I crossed this Jordan and now I have become two camps (Gen 32:11)."
Yaacov Avinu starts out toward Esav, crossing the Jordan with only his stick, meaning with only simple faith, "emunah peshuta," without strategies and tactics of how to prepare for the encounter with his most fearful enemy. He needs only Hashem, the All Powerful, All Good, who loves him so much. Now, he is in two camps, trying to face his brother using natural means, war strategy, "For he said, 'If Esav comes to the one camp to strike it down, then the remaining camp shall survive.' "
The Kobriner Rebbe says when Yaacov Avinu says, "I have been diminished (katanti)," he is confessing that he doesn't have the same strong trust that he used to have. In this crazy time of resignations and re-elections, of bullets and bombings, we can't afford to be diminished, to be small people. When Barak talked about his resignation this past Shabbes, I was reminded of the famous quote, "One Jew, two opinions." Everybody seemed to know what to do, what not to do, and especially that what that other guy did was wrong. Do we really know who will make a better prime minister? Can we honestly know what the army has to do? It's like Reb Shlomo Carlebach says: "You never know," and that's O.K. Hashem is running the show. He loves us so much and will take care of us. He needs our prayers so much, but not our political insights and opinions. I bless us all to make more and more room in our hearts for the tremendous love Hashem has for us, and to know how much the One and Only believes in us all. Good Shabbas, Good Yontif!