RAGE BAIT

Oxford University Press has named “rage bait” as the word of the year. It refers to online content deliberately crafted to provoke anger in order to drive engagement. Outrage becomes a tool – not for healing conflict, but for inflaming it.

Surprisingly, the Midrash uses language that sounds similar when describing Jacob at the beginning of this week’s parasha. The Midrash comments on a verse in the book of Proverbs (26:17): “A passerby who meddles in quarrel that is not his is like someone who grabs a dog by the ears.” The Midrash says Jacob was “pulling the ears of a sleeping dog.” Esau had been living quietly in Seir; he was not pursuing revenge. By sending messengers, Jacob risked awakening a conflict best left undisturbed.

At first glance, the Midrash seems to portray Jacob as provoking anger – almost like “rage bait.”

But the Torah shows the opposite.

Jacob’s outreach was born of fear, remorse, and a genuine desire for reconciliation after twenty years of estrangement. He refers to Esau as “my lord,” calls himself “your servant,” sends gifts, and prepares for the meeting with prayer and strategy. “Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed,” the Torah tells us.

The rabbinic critique is not of his motives but of the risk inherent in reopening old wounds. The proverb warns of the unpredictability of human anger, not of Jacob’s character. He was confronting his past, unsure what awaited him.

In this respect, “rage bait” is almost the inverse of Jacob’s approach. Rage-baiting weaponises anger for attention; Jacob sought to defuse anger with humility and accountability. He bowed seven times, sent offerings, and hoped for peace. Avoidance could not heal the past; silence could not repair a relationship.

There is a contemporary message here. In a world where outrage is engineered and amplified, Jacob models something countercultural: the courage to reach out with humility, acknowledge past wrongs, and believe that long-broken relationships can sometimes mend. Seeking peace may feel risky, but it is not the same as provoking conflict.

As we read the parasha, we can learn from Jacob’s example – choosing words that heal rather than harm, engaging others with sincerity rather than outrage, and resisting the lure of “rage bait.” The Torah challenges us to do something far more difficult yet far more profound: to be active builders of peace.