Moab became terrified of the people, for they were numerous, and Moab became disgusted because of the children of Israel. (Bamidbar 22:3)

Moab became terrified וַיָּגָר a term denoting dread, as in, “Fear (גּוּרוּ) for yourselves” – Rashi

The Hebrew word to describe the dread of Moab and Balak is “VaYagar”. It’s a somewhat unusual term. GAR would normally denote “living in a place temporarily. The Midrash explains that this is exactly the root of their fear. They felt their vulnerability in the face of the Children of Israel.

There is a verse in Iyov (3:25) that reads, “For the thing I feared has befallen me, and what I dreaded is coming upon me.” The second expression of dread is that word again, “YAGARTI”. Some understand this to mean that it was the fear itself that caused the worst to happen,

In the song by the splitting of the sea, the Children of Israel had sung 40 years earlier, “Then the chieftains of Edom were startled; the powerful men of Moab, trembling seized them; all the inhabitants of Canaan melted.” (Shemos 15:15) Now, 40 years later, that remote fear became a frightful reality. All of the desperate actions of Balak and Bilam are the result of their response to fear. I once saw a quote like this: “It’s not the problem that’s the problem. It’s what you do about the problem that’s often the problem.”

The Meor Einayim Quotes the Baal Shem Tov: “All of the frights even from wild animals that affect a person, it is the intention of HASHEM Blessed is He to frighten him in order that he should remember to fear HASHEM. If the person is wise and he contemplates this then nothing which is frightening to him will harm him because the original intention of HASHEM to frighten him was not to punish him through the fright., but rather that the fright should bring him to fear HASHEM… However, if the person does not think deeply about this and does not come to fear HASHEM then that which he is afraid of will bring harm upon him.”

He is not telling us to cancel out feelings of fear but rather to sublimate them into a fear of HASHEM. Once that is accomplished, and we get the “message” we no longer need the “messenger”. The fearful situation has effectively served its ultimate purpose. Such is the advice of the Baal Shem Tov.

The previous Lubavitcher was jailed in Russia for sedition. His crime was sending money to Jews in Israel. While incarcerated a Jewish guard was zealously pistol whipping him and trying to bully him with his gun. The Rebbe said to him with perfect equanimity, “That can only frighten someone who believes in many gods and one world, but I believe in One G-d and two worlds. You can put that toy away.” Dovid HaMelech writes multiple times in Tehillim not to fear “RA” – “EVIL” because HASHEM is with us. “Even when I walk in the valley of darkness, I will fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff – they comfort me.” (Tehillim 23:4) Nothing can separate us from HASHEM, except for our focus on the fear itself.

One of my Rebbeim told us that he accidentally called a young man that he had not been in touch with for 5 years. That same young man came to him years earlier to say he was finally involved in a potentially successful Shidduch but he wasn’t certain it would work out. The Rebbe detected that he might be making excuses and attempting to sabotage this hopeful possibility. So, the Rebbe asked him if he was afraid. He acquiesced. The Rebbe then asked him what he was afraid of and he listed five legitimate fears/concerns.

The Rebbe told us that he spoke to him for a few brief moments and he went on to marry that girl and now he has three wonderful children. I asked the Rebbe, “What did you say?” He told me that he asked the young man, “What is the difference between a courageous person and a coward?” He said, “A coward is afraid and a courageous person is not.” I told him, “No! A coward is afraid and a courageous person is also afraid, but for the courageous person, it’s ok to be afraid.”