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Parshas Toldot – Clarification (Important).

Question:

Did עשו have a piece of Yaakov’s good trait transferred into him in the womb of their mother רבקה? (When Yaakov held onto the heel of עשו). And did Yaakov have an opposing side of עשו bad? A good of עשו, is that he respected his father. Was עשו respect for his father genuine? Or fake? And when Yaakov achieved in getting the blessings from his father in a tricky act – known as the bad of his brother עשו?

Thanks!

Answer:

Yaacov and Esau had very different character traits, from their very beginning, as the torah tells us that they were very different even in outer appearance. Esau was hairy and mature looking, and Yaacov was the opposite. I am not aware that any of Esau’s character traits went over to Yaacov because he was holding on to Esau’s heel. I understood that it was a symbol that even though Esau emerged first from Rivka, but Yaacov still had a grip on the bechora.

The gemorah says that Esau was tremendous in the mitzvah of Kibbud Av V’em. The gemorah wouldn’t say it, if it wasn’t genuine. But on the other hand there were flaws in his Kibbud Av Vem, bas the gemorah points out that Esau said to himself that he will wait until Yitzchok dies in order to kill Yaacov, and therefore in a way was anticipating his father dying. Nevertheless even though Esau was considered a wicked person, his head still made it into the Maaras Hamachpela. If he wouldn’t of been worthy of it, it wouldn’t of happened.

Regarding Yaacov sneaking the brachos from Esau, essentially the brachos were destined for the bechora, and when Esau told Yitzchok that he sold the bechora to Yaacov, Yitzchok admitted that it was correct that they should go to Yaacov. Nevertheless Esau still hated Yaacov for it. I am not aware that Yaacov was known as the bad brother of Esau, as in Parshas Vayishlach Esau himself admitted that Yaacov should keep the brachos.

 

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