Esav: Externality and Evilness
Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
Parshat Toldos begins with the birth of twins Yaakov and Esav, and recounts how the two boys were very similar until they grew up. Then their paths diverged completely. As the Torah tells us, "The lads grew up [thirteen, according to the Sifsei Chaim; fifteen according to Rashi] and Esau became one who knows hunting, a man of the field, but Yaakov was a wholesome man..." Was there potential for greatness in Esav, or was he destined for evil from the womb? Was there a the catalyst for this major change? If so, what was it?
While Esau's nature differed from Yaakov's, it was not his nature but his sins that corrupted him, writes the Novominsker Rav. Esau's mission was not to sit in the study hall. Esau's going out to the field was meant to be a model for those who go out into the world, to use the "field" as a vehicle for mitzvoth, to find the opportunities to elevate the mundane and sanctify it.
Esau is a "man of the field." He is already complete, עשוי, finished, completely happy with the externals of life. In contrast, Yaakov is always moving forward, putting his עקב, his heel, one foot ahead of the other, writes the Sifsei Chaim. Esau is so entrenched in the hunger of the moment at his return from the field that he can't even check out what is in the pot. It's simply some red stuff. He can't wait for a bowl and spoon; just pour it from the pot straight into his mouth, for he's too tired [and hungry] to wait. When someone is so bound up with immediate gratification, no amount of education or reasoning will change that person.
The Sifsei Chaim then goes on to quote Iyov 11:12, "...Let one who is like a wild ass be reborn as a man," explaining that every person is born totally absorbed with animalistic tendencies. But it is up to man to grow and redefine himself as a human being. Esau does not look inward, toward his growth potential. All he sees is the external, only the color. An Esau character remains static, content in the physical, animal realm of existence. A Yaakov character always seeks to grow as a human being, a journey that never ends. That's why a Jewish scholar is called a talmid chacham, a student of knowledge and wisdom, for the truly wise are always seeking more knowledge. As Rabbi Wachtfogel zt”l says, Esau saw no need for self discipline, used no self restraint in his pursuit of the immediate gratification of physical desire. When you fail to rule over your body, you leave no room for the neshamah, adds Rabbi Svei zt”l. Like a horse and a rider, if the rider is not in control, the horse runs wildly on a destructive course.
Man was put on this world to perfect his middos, for bad middos are worse than sins of action, writes Rabbi Kestenbaum, citing the Rambam. [In fact, bad middos are very often the source of sinful acts. CKS]
In The Juggler and the King, Rabbi Feldman presents us with an interesting juxtaposition. Man is called Adam, derived and created from adamah/earth. Esau is called ish hasadeh, a man of the field. Rabbi Feldman points out that there is tremendous potential within the earth, but the earth must be worked to grow and produce. But a field that is allowed to lie fallow produces nothing, is useless. When Adam sinned and was banished from Gan Eden, he was tasked with working the field, to bring it back to the state of perfection before the sin. He, and mankind, needed to remove the impurities they allowed to enter their being and return to the state of connection and service to Hashem. To again make Man into fertile soil rather than leaving it a fallow, rotting field.
Our Patriarchs, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, began this process and bequeathed it as a legacy to their descendants. When Yaakov entered his father's chamber and received Yitzchak's blessing, Yitzchak smelled the scent of the Garden that Hashem had blessed. This was to be Yaakov's mission.
As parents and teachers, we must understand that our primary goal in working with children is to teach them restraint and self discipline, writes Rabbi Walkin zt”l in Daas Chaim Umussar. Teach them to set boundaries, to budget [money, time, and resources] in ways that will grow the seeds of their potential.
Esau enjoyed hunting as a sport. In that era of world history, that was a favorite pastime. Each generation has its own challenges that keep us addicted to the external present rather than seeking fulfillment for our soul, writes Rabbi Beyfus. During the Enlightenment, it was the supremacy of human reason, devoid of God; today it is the idolization and addiction to technology and the lures of the street culture. People today feel entitled to every convenience and pleasure without weighing in on consequences or putting in effort. [Somehow, the Declaration of Independence has been altered in American society. The right to "The pursuit of happiness," implying effort and personal responsibility, has morphed into, "The right to happiness," the responsibility of others to provide me with happiness. CKS] The hunger for physical pleasure or material gain can never be satisfied. Physical hunger is often a mask for spiritual hunger, for an unfulfilled need to feed the soul.
Yaakov understood that trying to satiate your physical hunger will leave you unfulfilled and hungry. Esau had spent the day pursuing all forms of physical pleasure, murder, rape, denying God, denying resurrection of the dead, and spurning the birthright. After all this, Esau is not left happy or satisfied, but exhausted and hungry.
Citing Kohelet 5:9 and Kohelet Rabba, Rabbi Kestenbaum teaches us that the lover of money will never be satisfied. He who has 100 wants 200. One forgets, suggests Rabbi Kestenbaum, that the actual goal is not transitory pleasure, but satisfying, long lasting happiness. Is working long hours to acquire an externally rich lifestyle worth missing almost all family time and the bonding that goes with it? Is it worth not leaving time for the study of Torah?
Esau was never meant to follow the path of Yaakov. Rather, he was meant to complement Yaakov's role. The existential difference between Yaakov and Esau was in their approach to the world. Esau lived a life of olam hazeh, the world of the here and now, while Yaakov understood the connection between olam hazeh and eternity, olam habo, a world of connection to God. Esau's sins are a reflection of this disconnect, writes Rabbi Lopiansky. From murder which cuts off all future, to the rape of a betrothed woman that breaks the bond between the present commitment and the future status, as Bnei Yisroel is committed to Hashem from now through eternity, to denying the existence of a God that transcends time, denying the resurrection of the dead that limits all existence to the present world, and finally, denigrating the birthright that would be meaningful only in the future - each sin bears witness to Esau's focus and commitment only to the present, to a world without faith in God or in the future, only to a world he can experience and enjoy now. In spite of his upbringing in the homes of his father and grandfather, his experiences with angels and his studies, writes Rabbi Wachtfogel zt”l in Kovetz Sichot, Esau kept the lessons only intellectually, in his head, never internalizing them into his life.
We may be faced with similar challenges, cautions us Rabbi Kofman zt”l. We may know every detail of a mitzvah's proper observance, but are we performing it with joy within the heart, are we helping others grateful for the opportunity or begrudgingly?
While Esau appreciated the power of brachah, he was unwilling to follow the process of internalization that would actualize his potential. In Sichot Yitzchak, he delineates the stages that lead to internalization. First comes intellectual knowledge and wisdom, represented by the mouth as part of the head. Next, one must place it in the heart, add an emotional component. The final stage is represented by the hand, transforming the knowledge and emotions into action. When we study Torah, we must not let that study remain strictly an intellectual pursuit. We must internalize the knowledge and incorporate it into our lives.
Esau, along with Yaakov, studied in the halls of Shem and Ever, grew up with his father Yitzchak and grandfather Avraham. He had acute intellectual curiosity. But he did not allow that knowledge to penetrate his soul and impact his life. Was it stubbornness? Was it ego? What middah/character trait do we have that is blocking us from from implementing what we know? How am I helping or preventing the garden of ME from growing?
We are still left with the question of what triggered such a dramatic change in Esau at this particular time. In Wellsprings of Faith, Rabbi Wolfson zt”l introduces us to the profound energy of a person's last days on earth. The Torah tells us that that Avraham was old, בא בימים, usually translated as, "Well on in years." Rabbi Wolfson cites the Zohar in bringing a different interpretation. When a person approaches the last moments of life, all the days of his life come with him. All the mitzvoth or all the evil that he did throughout his life come together, telescoping past into the present. For the tzadik, these moments manifest in a great spiritual light that can be experienced by anyone in his presence at that time.
This was the energy the Prophet Elisha absorbed when he witnessed his mentor Eliyahu going up to heaven. This was the energy that gave Elisha the power to resurrect two from the dead, double what Eliyahu had done. It is an energy absorbed by disciples who are present at the Rebbi's passing from this world. [The disciples of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai witnessed a tremendous light surrounding him as Rashb"i's soul was rising heavenward. Hence, his teachings are referred to as Zohar/Radiance. CKS] This was the sanctity Yaakov absorbed as he tended to Avraham in his last moments, before preparing the lentil stew to begin the mourning of his grandfather.
In contrast, on that same day, Esau murdered Nimrod, stealing the garments that Hashem had infused them with. All the impurity of Nimrod's life that had come with Nimrod at those last moments now entered Esau. The death of these two diametrically opposite people and the release of their accompanying energies to their "heirs" thus maintained the balance of good and evil with which Hashem runs the world. Yaakov Avinu imbibed the spiritual greatness of Avraham Avinu while Esau imbibed the great impurity and evil of Nimrod.
Like a magnet attracting iron, so does a soul attract what it is drawn to, A person who is already prone to unholiness will draw to itself the sparks of evil that are given off by the departing evil soul, while the soul already immersed in a holy life will attract the sparks of sanctity emitted by the soul of the tzadik.
Let us take the lessons of Torah, of our parents, teachers and rabbis, internalize them and actualize them with how we live our lives. Let us strive to create a garden of beauty in our lives as we sow the seeds of good character and mitzvoth and water our lives with Torah.