Illustration Credit: Noa Kelner
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר עֵשָׂ֔ו הִנֵּ֛ה אָנֹכִ֥י הוֹלֵ֖ךְ לָמ֑וּת וְלָמָּה־זֶּ֥ה לִ֖י בְּכֹרָֽה׃
Esav said, “I am going to die, so for what do I have a bekhorah (firstborn rights)?”
What does Esav mean when he says, “I am going to die”? How does this explain why he was so willing to sell his bekhorah to Yaakov?
Rashi suggests that Esav’s comment was part of a conversation he was having with Yaakov about the עֲבֹדָה (avodah, service) of offering sacrifices to God in the Beit Ha-Mikdash. This was supposed to be the responsibility of a firstborn child.
אָמַר עֵשָׂו: מַה טִּיבָהּ שֶׁל עֲבוֹדָה זוֹ?
אָמַר לוֹ: כַּמָּה אַזְהָרוֹת וָעֳנָשִׁין וּמִיתוֹת תְּלוּיִין בָּהּ...
אָמַר: אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ לָמוּת עַל יָדָהּ, אִם כֵּן מַה חֵפֶץ לִי בָהּ?
Esav said: What’s the nature of this avodah?
Yaakov said: Many warnings and punishments and death penalties are connected to it (if you don’t do it properly).
Esav said: If I am going to die by it, why do I need it at all?
Rashi thinks Esav is admitting that he’s not spiritually ready to assume the responsibility of the bekhorah.
Rashbam sees it differently.
בְּכָל יוֹם אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ לָצוּד חַיּוֹת בַּיְּעָרִים הַמְּצוּיִים שָׁם דֻּבִּים וַאֲרָיוֹת וְחַיּוֹת רָעוֹת וַאֲנִי מְסֻכָּן לָמוּת.
Every day I go hunting in the forests where there are bears and lions and other wild animals, so I’m in danger of dying any time.
According to Rashbam, Esav feels like he probably won’t live long enough to enjoy the benefits of being the firstborn (like the double portion of inheritance when their father dies). He might as well exchange his rights to whatever he’ll get later for something he can enjoy right now, like Yaakov’s soup.
- What do these interpretations have in common? What do they teach us about Esav’s personality? How are they different from each other?
- Can you find evidence for either interpretation in the pesukim that tell this story or from any other stories we know about Esav?
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