Drasha
Perhaps no character in the bible gets shorter shrift in the commentaries and tradition than Eisav. The actual biblical verses paint the picture of a devoted son who enjoys the more physical and dangerous parts of life, while the tradition casts Eisav as a corrupt and evil murderer who deserved to have his blessing stolen. While there is much to say about why the rabbis often try to cast biblical characters into less morally ambiguous roles– making the good guys really good, and the bad guys really bad– what is clear is that the rabbis picked up on a clear distinction– and perhaps even polarity– set up in the Parsha between the two brothers, Yaakov and Eisav, and ran with it.
While we don’t hear about Eisav being particularly evil– or even, for that matter, about Yaakov being particularly good– we do hear of a major difference between the brothers. The Torah tells us (25:17), וַיִּגְדְּלוּ, הַנְּעָרִים, וַיְהִי עֵשָׂו אִישׁ יֹדֵעַ צַיִד, אִישׁ שָׂדֶה; וְיַעֲקֹב אִישׁ תָּם, יֹשֵׁב אֹהָלִים, and the children grew up, and Eisav knew how to hunt and was a man of the field, whereas Jacob was a simple man, sitting in tents. Clearly, the Torah is setting up opposing poles here in an effort to highlight how different the brothers are. Eisav is out in the world, while Yaakov remains inside, Eisav is active while Jacob is sitting, Eisav is hunting while Jacob is studying, Eisav is physical while Jacob is intellectual. All of the tensions and divisions that follow can be summed up to this initial point of departure between the two brothers. Their clash between the brothers is inevitable, as the Torah tells us that, at their very essence, Yaakov and Eisav are born as opposing personalities.
Given that, it’s worth noting exactly how the Torah characterizes the supposedly praiseworthy personality of Yaakov. The patriarch is called “Ish Tam Yosheiv Ohalim,” simple and sitting in tents, literally. Broadly speaking, the tradition and most commentators over the years have understood Yosheiv Ohalim to be a sign of intellectualism– sitting in tents of scholars to study, as opposed to hunting out in fields with his brother. However, the meaning of Tam is, ironically, not so simple. Some of us may recognize the “Tam” from the Pesach Seder, as the simple son– able to articulate a question, but not knowledgeable enough to be on the level of the Wise son. Given that later rabbinic connotation of “Tam,” it might be surprising to see it being used here as a praiseworthy attribute, and perhaps even more surprisingly, as a sign of intellectualism... Continued
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