Jacob then gave Esau bread and lentil stew; he ate and drank, and he rose and went away. Thus did Esau spurn the birthright.” (Genesis 25:34)
Could there be brothers more different than Jacob and Esau? As we learn in this week’s portion Toldot, Jacob is the mild mannered lad who prefers to stay in the tent while his twin Esau is the macho, hairy hunter who loves the outdoors (25:27). As if to accentuate their differences even further, we learn that their parents play favorites with their sons: Isaac prefers Esau (for no other reason, apparently, than he simply likes his sons’s cooking) while Rebecca favors Jacob (no reason is given, though it may be because she has been given some critical inside information – see 25:23).
The episode in which Jacob buys his birthright from Esau demonstrates deeper aspects to their personalities. There is no doubt that Jacob is deviously taking advantage of Esau’s weaknesses when he tells his tired, hungry older brother that he won’t give him some lentil stew until he hands over his birthright. On the other hand, what are we to make of someone who will give up his birthright for a measly bowl of lentils?
A statement by Esau is extremely telling in this regard: “I’m at the point of death, so of what use is my birthright to me?” (25:32) It’s one of those wonderful Biblical double entendres. In the immediate sense, he seems to be saying, “I’m dying of hunger – why are we talking about birthrights here?” But we might also understand this line as “I’m going to die someday anyhow, so what good is my birthright?”
With this offhand remark, Esau betrays his most fatal flaw: his desire to live only for his immediate needs and his inability to appreciate the larger significance of his place in the world. In this way, we might say he demonstrates a kind of “proto-hedonism.” Esau represents the individual who lives first and foremost for the pleasures of the moment with little regard for transcendent meaning or purpose.
While we might take Jacob to task for his underhanded tactics (not the last time we will witness this) he ultimately understands the deeper value of his birthright: the promise made to his family, his people and to the world in which he lives. In his heart, Jacob somehow knows this promise is worth fighting for. Indeed, it is a struggle he waged even before he was born (see 25:22) – and one that will continue for the rest of his/our days.
I’ve always liked the interpretation that the Jacob who ultimately becomes a patriarch is an amalgam of the best of both brothers. Just before blessing Jacob, Isaac says, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau”. So maybe great leadership requires both qualities: the smooth talking quick wit of a Jacob, and the physical courage and action of an Esau.