Esau in 3d

Esau is the symbol of the world around us that can be viewed in 3d. One can be impressed by its veneer of glitter, or cynically view it from within as a rotten world. But the 3rd dimensional way of viewing the world – the Chassidic perspective – is that it possesses a powerful spiritual dimension that “hovers” above it. Our mission is to so change the world now so that in the Messianic Age even Esau will be refined.

Shining the Light of the Oral Torah

Of the many places in the Torah, where the text must be understood in light of the Oral tradition, this week’s Parsha’s narrative concerning Jacob and Esau stands out.

Jacob, the progenitor of the Jewish nation is praised .throughout the Tanach, while his brother Esau is always maligned. When one reads this week’s Parsha, one seems to get a very different picture. Esau is an obedient son, whom his father likes and chooses to bless over his brother Jacob.

Jacob, by contrast, “extracts” the birthright from his brother Esau for a pot of lentils when he was so weary that he was about to die. Jacob, many years later, goes along with his mother Rebecca’s “scheme” to “steal” the blessings from his brother Esau.

How is it then that Jacob is regarded as our righteous forefather, whose memory we invoke every time we want to elicit G-d’s mercy? Esau, on the other hand, is always viewed as the symbol of evil and hatred towards the Jewish nation and the very ideals of righteousness.

Our sages, in whose hands the Oral interpretations to the Torah that were handed down to Moses at Mount Sinai were placed, shed light on the entire matter.

Esau’s Crime Spree

Esau’s entire life was a deception. He was the ultimate hypocrite. He would constantly attempt to deceive his father by asking him questions such as “How does one tithe salt and straw?” By feigning piety, he succeeded in impressing upon his father that he was truly entitled to the blessings.

According to the Oral tradition, when Esau returned from the forest weary and asked Jacob for the lentils he was cooking, there was much more to the story than what meets the eye. Esau, our sages tell us, had just returned from a crime spree. He had committed murder, rape, adultery and idol worship. But, this was not just any day that he chose for his induction into a life of immorality and evil. This was the day that his beloved grandfather Abraham died.

By postponing his criminal career until after the passing of his grandfather, but, no sooner that Abraham passes away he commits the most heinous crimes, Esau exhibits a shallow and perverse sense of sensitivity. For a child to so dishonor his parents and grandparents was a sign of his inherent disrespect for everything they stood for.

To add insult to injury, when Esau returns from this crime spree, he sees the lentils Jacob was preparing as the meal that one feeds mourners. Rather than “paying his respects” to his parents, literally and figuratively by showing some modicum of respect for their ideals, Esau just wants to swallow the food and is prepared to give away his birthright for it.

The first born enjoyed the privilege of carrying on the legacy of his parents. Esau demonstrated his utter contempt for the birthright and all that it stood for. Whatever fragment of decency and piety Esau possessed was only on the surface.

The Anomaly

One can raise the obvious question, why did the Torah not state explicitly that Esau was a vicious criminal, who had utter contempt for his parents’ and grandparents’ ideals? Why are we given two versions of the same person? The written Torah portrays him as the obedient child who is cheated out of his blessings, whereas the Oral Torah depicts him as a scoundrel and loathsome criminal.

To resolve this anomaly one must refer to the Inner, or “third dimension” of the Torah, the teachings of Kabbalah and Chassidus. Esau, to be sure, was a lowly person, precisely as he is described in the Oral tradition. But, Esau’s spiritual roots were very holy and even more closely connected to Isaac than were Jacob’s.

Esau‘s problem was that he was not “in touch” with his own spiritual source. In the terminology of Kabbalah, his spiritual source “hovered” above him, but could not be internalized. This “superior” holiness manifested itself in the superficial way Esau showed respect to his parents. In effect, both descriptions of Esau are accurate.

Third Dimension View

Esau is the symbol of the world around us that can be viewed in 3d. One can be impressed by its veneer of glitter, or cynically view it from within as a rotten world. But the 3rd dimensional way of viewing the world – the Chassidic perspective – is that it possesses a powerful spiritual dimension that “hovers” above it. Our mission is to so change the world now so that in the Messianic Age even Esau will be refined. All the elusive spiritual energies that cannot now be absorbed will be accessed and fully internalized. At that point, we will see the complete rapprochement between Jacob and Esau, that will usher an age of universal peace and harmony.

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Toldos by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.