These verses describe Yaakov's reaction when he receives news that Esav is approaching him with an army of four hundred men. He divides his family into two groups, hoping that at least one will survive a possible attack.
Pay special attention to verses 10-13 (in bold) which contain Yaakov's prayer at this moment of fear and distress. Some of those words have been made into a song. Do you know it?
(ז) וַיָּשֻׁ֙בוּ֙ הַמַּלְאָכִ֔ים אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֖ב לֵאמֹ֑ר בָּ֤אנוּ אֶל־אָחִ֙יךָ֙ אֶל־עֵשָׂ֔ו וְגַם֙ הֹלֵ֣ךְ לִקְרָֽאתְךָ֔ וְאַרְבַּע־מֵא֥וֹת אִ֖ישׁ עִמּֽוֹ׃ (ח) וַיִּירָ֧א יַעֲקֹ֛ב מְאֹ֖ד וַיֵּ֣צֶר ל֑וֹ וַיַּ֜חַץ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֗וֹ וְאֶת־הַצֹּ֧אן וְאֶת־הַבָּקָ֛ר וְהַגְּמַלִּ֖ים לִשְׁנֵ֥י מַחֲנֽוֹת׃ (ט) וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אִם־יָב֥וֹא עֵשָׂ֛ו אֶל־הַמַּחֲנֶ֥ה הָאַחַ֖ת וְהִכָּ֑הוּ וְהָיָ֛ה הַמַּחֲנֶ֥ה הַנִּשְׁאָ֖ר לִפְלֵיטָֽה׃ (י) וַיֹּאמֶר֮ יַעֲקֹב֒ אֱלֹהֵי֙ אָבִ֣י אַבְרָהָ֔ם וֵאלֹהֵ֖י אָבִ֣י יִצְחָ֑ק יְהוָ֞ה הָאֹמֵ֣ר אֵלַ֗י שׁ֧וּב לְאַרְצְךָ֛ וּלְמוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וְאֵיטִ֥יבָה עִמָּֽךְ׃ (יא) קָטֹ֜נְתִּי מִכֹּ֤ל הַחֲסָדִים֙ וּמִכָּל־הָ֣אֱמֶ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתָ אֶת־עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ כִּ֣י בְמַקְלִ֗י עָבַ֙רְתִּי֙ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֣ן הַזֶּ֔ה וְעַתָּ֥ה הָיִ֖יתִי לִשְׁנֵ֥י מַחֲנֽוֹת׃ (יב) הַצִּילֵ֥נִי נָ֛א מִיַּ֥ד אָחִ֖י מִיַּ֣ד עֵשָׂ֑ו כִּֽי־יָרֵ֤א אָנֹכִי֙ אֹת֔וֹ פֶּן־יָב֣וֹא וְהִכַּ֔נִי אֵ֖ם עַל־בָּנִֽים׃ (יג) וְאַתָּ֣ה אָמַ֔רְתָּ הֵיטֵ֥ב אֵיטִ֖יב עִמָּ֑ךְ וְשַׂמְתִּ֤י אֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ֙ כְּח֣וֹל הַיָּ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יִסָּפֵ֖ר מֵרֹֽב׃
(7) The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau; he himself is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.” (8) Jacob was greatly frightened; in his anxiety, he divided the people with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, (9) thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, the other camp may yet escape.” (10) Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, ‘Return to your native land and I will deal bountifully with you’! (11) I am unworthy of all the kindness that You have so steadfastly shown Your servant: with my staff alone I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. (12) Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; else, I fear, he may come and strike me down, mothers and children alike. (13) Yet You have said, ‘I will deal bountifully with you and make your offspring as the sands of the sea, which are too numerous to count.’”
Rashi, Seforno, and Ramban, have different opinions about the meaning of the phrase קָטֹ֜נְתִּי מִכֹּ֤ל הַחֲסָדִים֙ וּמִכָּל־הָ֣אֱמֶ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתָ אֶת־עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ. Can you say in your own words what each of them think this phrase means and who do you think is correct?
קטנתי מכל החסדים I AM TOO UNWORTHY OF ALL THE MERCIES (This may be rendered “I am small — unworthy — because of all the kindnesses) — My merits are diminished in consequence of all the kindness and truth which You have already shown me. For this reason I am afraid: perhaps, since You made these promises to me, I have become depraved (נתקלקלתי) by sin (another version of Rashi has נתלכלכתי, I have become defiled by sin) and this may cause me to be delivered unto Esau’s power (Shabbat 32a).
קטנתי מכל החסדים ומכל האמת נתמעטו זכיותי על ידי חסדים ואמת שעשית עמי לכך אני ירא שמא משהבטחתני נתקלקלתי בחטא ויגרום לי להמסר ביד עשו לשון רש"י ואיננו נכון בלשון הכתוב ועוד כי אמר אחרי כן ואתה אמרת היטב איטיב עמך ושמתי את זרעך כחול הים ומה יועיל הבטחון ההוא אם גרם החטא אחר כך ועוד כי יעקב הזכיר שתי הבטחות שהבטיחו הקב"ה בבית אל ובחרן ואמר תחלה מה שנאמר לו בחרן ה' האומר אלי שוב לארצך ולמולדתך ואיטיבה עמך והוא שנאמר לו בצאתו מבית לבן (לעיל לא ג) שוב אל ארץ אבותיך ולמולדתך ואהיה עמך והנה אחרי כן לא היטיב לו בכל החסדים ובכל האמת האלה שיתמעטו זכיותיו על ידיהם אבל "קטונתי" לומר כי קטון הוא מהיותו ראוי לכל החסדים שעשה עמו
I am unworthy of all the kindnesses and of all the truth:
Rashi's explanation is not correct in its interpretation of the Hebrew. and also Yaakov goes on to say "and you have promised..." which would not make any sense if Yaakov was concerned that he had used up God's promises. Also, Yaakov quotes two different promises that God made to him. One at Beit El, on his way out of the Land of Israel and one at Haran before his return. God's great kindnesses to Yaakov were before that second promise God made to help Yaakov return home. How could that promise not endure?
... But rather "katonti," is to say that he is small (deficient) from being worthy of all of the kindnesses that He did for him.
This last comment of Rashi is an interesting example of a situation in which Rashi tells us two different meanings of a phrase in the Torah. One interpretation that he believes is the "plain sense" meaning and another interpretation which is based on Midrash.
Why does Rashi provide two explanations?
What is the difference between the plain-sense interpretation and the Midrash?
כי במקלי FOR WITH MY STAFF — I had with me neither silver nor gold nor cattle — only this staff of mine. The Midrashic explanation is, that he had placed his staff in the Jordan and Jordan had divided for him to pass over.