(24) When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. (25) The first one emerged red, like a hairy mantle all over; so they named him Esau. (26) Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born. (27) And the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the outdoors; but Jacob was a mild man who stayed in camp. (28) Isaac loved Esau because game was in his mouth; but Rebekah loves Jacob. (29) Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the open, famished. (30) And Esau said to Jacob, “Give me some of that red stuff to gulp down, for I am famished”—which is why he was named Edom. (31) Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” (32) And Esau said, “I am at the point of death, so of what use is my birthright to me?” (33) But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. (34) Jacob then gave Esau bread and lentil stew; he ate and drank, and he rose and went away. Thus did Esau spurn the birthright.
~ How is the family dynamic portrayed in these verses?
~ How do the inner characteristics of Yitzchak and Rivkah find counterpoints on Esav and Yaakov?
~ What is the set up for the selling of the birthright?
~ How does the text judge the actions of Esav? Does it judge the actions of Yaakov?
The nature of Esav...
Esau is identified in the Torah with Edom, a nation bordering on Judah to the southeast. During the First Temple period, Edom was sometimes a vassal of Israel or Judah, and sometimes independent, but was always the weaker party. After the destruction of Judah by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E., however, the Edomites took the opportunity to move into the Negev and southern Judean hill country as far north as Hebron, and remained entrenched there, even through the time that Judeans began to return from Babylon to resettle the land, beginning in 538 B.C.E. In keeping with this change of fortunes, we begin to see very negative evaluations of Edom during the Second Temple period. (Dr. Barry Dov Walfish, The Denigration of Esau, https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-denigration-of-esau)
..."...And the youths grew up" (Bereishit 25:27). Rabbi Levi made an analogy to a myrtle and wild rosebush which grew next to each other; when they had grown, one gave forth scent and the other thorns. So too with these, for thirteen years they both went to school (beit hasefer) and came back from school, but after thirteen years this one went to study-houses (batei midrashot) and this one went to idolatrous temples (batei avodat kochavim). Rabbi Elazar said, until thirteen years a person needs to take care of their children - from this age onwards, they need to say "Blessed is the one who has exempted me from the punishment of this one." "And Eisav was a man who knew how to hunt..." (ibid.) - he trapped people with his mouth; "you didn't steal?! Who stole with you? You didn't kill?! Who killed with you?" Rabbi Abahu said, robber [is the same as] hunter. He "hunted" in the house and in the field; in the house he said "How do you tithe salt?" and in the field "how do you tithe straw?" Rabbi Chiya said, he made himself ownerless like a field. Yisrael said before the Holy Blessed One, "Master of all universes: is it not enough for us that we are subjugated by the seventy nations - must we also be subjugated by this one, who is penetrated like women?" The Holy Blessed One said to them, "Even I will come in the [Latin] language, I will be revenged upon them." Behold it is written, "And the heart of the heroes of Edom was on that day like the heart of a woman in labour" (Yirmiyahu 49:22). "But Ya'akov was a simple man, a dweller in tents..." (Bereishit 25:27) - two tents, the study-house of Shem and the study-house of Ever. "And Yitzchak loved Eisav, for game was in his mouth..." (Bereishit 25:28) a good piece of meat for his mouth, a good cup of wine for his mouth. "And Rivka loved Ya'akov..." (ibid.) - every time she heard his voice she would add love to her love.
~ What is the picture that the midrash paints of Esav?
~ Rabbi Chiya was alive in the land of Israel, then Palestine, between 180 and 230 CE. Who does he identify Edom with? Why?
~ What is the picture that the midrash paints of the family dynamics?
~ What is the connection the midrash makes between Avraham and Esav?
~ What is the scene of the sale of the birthright? When did it happen?
~ What is the contrast that this midrash makes between Esav and Yishmael? What didn't Esav do, ever? Does it make sense, if Esav is identified with the Roman Empire?
(1) ויגדלו… ויהי עשו AND THEY GREW … AND ESAU WAS — So long as they were young they could not be distinguished by what they did and no one paid much attention to their characters, but when they reached the age of thirteen, one went his way to the houses of learning and the other went his way to the idolatrous temples (Genesis Rabbah 63:10).
(2) יודע ציד A CUNNING HUNTER literally, understanding hunting — understanding how to entrap and deceive his father with his mouth. He would ask him, “Father how should salt and straw be tithed”? (Genesis Rabbah 63:10) (although he knew full well that these are not subject to the law of tithe). Consequently his father believed him to be very punctilious in observing the divine ordinances.
(3) איש שדה A MAN OF THE FIELD — Explain it literally (i.e., not in a Midrashic manner): a man without regular occupation, hunting beasts and birds with his bow.
(4) תם A PLAIN MAN — not expert in all these things: as his heart was his mouth (his thoughts and his words tallied). One who is not ingenious in deceiving people is called תם plain, simple.
(5) יושב אהלים DWELLING IN TENTS — the tent of Shem and the tent of Eber (Genesis Rabbah 63:10).
~ What is Esav's nature, for Rashi? Is this reading supported in the text of the Torah?
(א) איש שדה יודע בעבודת האדמה: (ב) יושב אוהלים שני מיני אהלים האחד אהל רועה והשני אהל בל יצען שבו התבונן להכיר בוראו ונקדש בכבודו:
(1) a man of the field - an expert farmer.
(2) sitting on tents - the plural indicates two tents; one is the tent used by shepherds, the other the tent described as "not moved" (Isaiah 33:20)in which one meditates to gain insight into one's Creator and become holy, inspired by God's glory.
And Yitzchak loved Esav - also Esau, not only Yaakov, even though he must have been aware that Esav was far less perfect than Yaakov.
Rivkah loves Yaakov - she only loved Yaakov, recognising the wickedness of Esau.
~ How does Sforno understand Esav? How does he understand Yaakov? How does he understand the dynamics in the family?
“Yitzchak loved Esav” - in connection with Esau the Torah uses the past tense, "Itzchak loved Esav", to show that Yitzchak did not love Esav all the time, but only "when the game was in his mouth". But regarding Yaakov, who was a "simple person" the writes "and Rivka loves Yaakov" as her feelings for him were constant. Furthermore, it is the nature of women to love those who look after her domestic animals.
~ Chizkuni is reading the text closely and pointing out a difficulty on the verbs. Did you notice that in the translation? Do you think his explanation makes sense?
And Yitzchak loved Esav - The text does not have what we would expect when looking at the Hebrew "love your neighbor", it is not written with the lamed but with the direct object marker et, and it is explained in [the commentary] Devarim 6:5 that a love that has to do with the heart and the thought has the direct object marker et, which is not the case with a love that has to do with will, that one is written with lamed.
כי ציד בפיו. ביאר הכתוב שלא היו יצחק ורבקה מחולקים בדעות. ושניהם ידעו דעיקר הזרע אשר עליו נאמר כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע. ביצחק ולא כל יצחק. הוא יעקב יושב אהל אברהם בתורה. ורק אהבה החוזרת היה ליצחק את עשו דמשמש לי׳ כעבדא ונהנה בשימושו מאד. משא״כ יעקב הי׳ יושב אהל ולא שימש הרבה ועיין עוד להלן כ״ו ל״ד:
Because game was in his mouth - the text comes to explain that Rivkah and Yitzchak were not divided in their thoughts. And both of them knew that the essence of [Avraham's] seed was in them, since it says "in Yitzchak your seed will be called." In Yitzchak, and not in all of Yitzchak - this is Yaakov, who would sit in the tent of Avraham, in the Torah. And the love of Yitzchak for Esav is the love that loves only in return, which points out to him as servant, and he enjoyed his service very much. This was not the case with Yaakov, who sat in the tent, and did not provide any service, and see more in 26:34.
And Rivkah - who did not need any service from her sons.
אהבת את יעקב. לא הביטה אלא על המעלה והתכלית מש״ה כתיב לשון הוה ולא כמו ביצחק דלא כתיב ויהי יצחק אוהב משום דאהבת יצחק לא היה אלא במקרה ע״פ השעה. ובאמת בסוף ימיו נתהפכה האהבה. וע׳ מש״כ ס״פ זו. משא״כ אהבת רבקה היתה מצד טבע הענין. וגם היתה מוספת אהבה יום יום כמאמרם בעבודת כוכבים ד״ג כל הלומד תורה בלילה חוט ש״ח משוך עליו ביום:
Loves Yaakov - she did only paid attention to level and purpose, and that is why it is written in the present tense, and that was not the case with Yitzchak. With Yitzchak it was a case of a love that changes according to circumstance and time, and in truth his love changed at the end of his days. See what it is written there. But this was not the case with Rivkah, whose love was from the essence and nature of the issue. And she also added to her love daily as they say "whoever studies Torah at night has a line of lovingkindness that continues throughout the day" (Chagigah 12b:8).
~ How does the Netziv understand the different loves of Yitzchak and Rivkah for their children?
~ What are the family dynamics, according to him?
~ Note how Rashi's commentary is consistent with the denigration of Esav.
מן האדם האדם הזה FROM THIS RED, EVEN THIS RED THING —red lentils. On that day Abraham had died in order that he might not see his grandson Esau falling into degenerate ways. This would not have been the “good old age” (cf. 25:8) which God had promised him; therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, cut his life short by five years — for Isaac lived 180 years and he only one hundred and seventy five. Jacob was boiling lentils to provide the customary first meal for the immediate mourners. Why should lentils be the mourner’s food? Because they are round like a wheel and mourning (sorrow) is a wheel that revolves in the world (it touches everyone sooner or later as a revolving wheel touches every spot in turn) (Bava Batra 16b). And a further reason is: just as lentils have no mouth — (the word mouth פה peh, is used in Hebrew of a serrated edge) — so, too, mourners have no mouth (appear dumb), for speech (greeting others) is forbidden to them. For this reason, also, it is customary to give eggs to a mourner as his first meal, because they are round and have no mouth (serrated edge) and similarly a mourner has no mouth (may not greet others), just as we say in Moed Katan 21b. “A mourner during the first three days (of the week of mourning) may not respond to the greeting of any person — it follows, of course, that he may not be the first to greet anyone — and from the third to the seventh day he may respond to a greeting but may not be the first to offer a greeting etc.” From “And a further reason” is to be found in an old Rashi text.
~ What are the lessons that Rashi decides to teach at this moment?
~ If this was a mourner's meal, what is the problem with the sale?
~ How does Rashi understand Esav's words "here I am going to die"?
It is possible that Esau said, “What is this birthright to me? It is sold to you,” and Jacob said, “Swear to me that you will never complain about the sale.” And when Scripture says that first he swore to him and then he sold it to him, its intent is as if it said that he sold it to him first and then swore to him.
~ What is the Ramban adding to the scene of the sale?
~ What does the Radak add to the scene of the sale?
~ How does Nissim of Gerona explain the question of the meal of consolation and the sale?
~ How does he see the connection of Esav to the family?
~ How does Nissim Gerondi understand the effects of the family dynamics on the blessing and on the feelings of Esav after the snatching of the blessing?
Sell to me like the day - seeing that as of now all your interests are focused on your work so that you are so tired that you cannot even recognize a dish of lentils for what it is, there is no question that you would not have the time or energy to perform the duties involved in the obligations associated with being a firstborn, serving the Blessed God.
~ What words does the Sforno add to the scene of the sale?
~ How does Rav Nachman of Bretslav understand the question of gulping? What does it teach us in terms of discipline and behavior?
Look at Esav. He has this great thing, which we learn he values later on, and he himself finds that he values later on, but that he himself sold for a plate of red lentils. Lentils cook fast. He could have made his own, but he didn't, he did not consider waiting a little, making his own plate. He only saw the immediate consequence, filling his belly. What do you sell, in your life, for a plate of red lentils? What are the overarching values that you feel you compromise in your life for an immediate gain? I leave you with those questions.
[Rabbi Nilton Bonder]