GEN1378 The ideal Jewish existence is to live in the land of Israel under Jewish rule, but unfortunately history shows that the Jew has mostly lived outside the land of Israel in the Diaspora among the non-Jewish majority.   Even in the period of the Torah itself, most of the time the Jewish nation lived outside of the land.   Therefore, it is necessary to ask what the relationship of the Jews should be with the non-Jews among whom they live? How much interaction, if any, should there be between the Jew and his non-Jewish neighbor who is a part of the majority population?  Strong arguments can be made that being friendly with the surrounding non-Jewish community is something positive and often necessary. But caution must be used because becoming too friendly can easily lead to assimilation.   So there is good reason to keep one’s distance and remain separate from the non-Jewish community.   But the danger of segregating too much is that it can easily led to anti-Semitism. … Both of these dangers are alluded to in explaining an extraneous phrase in [this verse].   Jacob prays to God to save him from the threat of his brother, Esau.   In the verse, Jacob says “save me from my brother, from Esau.”  Since Jacob had only one brother and since no word or phrase is “extra” in the Torah, why was the double expression “From my brother” and “from Esau” used?   They are one and the same.   One commentary explains that Jacob was asking God for protection from two types of threats – one when Esau, the personification of the non-Jew in the Bible, act like Esau, the anti-Semite, and another threat, when Esau, the no-Jew, acts like a brother, when the threat comes from assimilation.  AMEMEI 136