וַיָּ֥זֶד יַעֲקֹ֖ב נָזִ֑יד וַיָּבֹ֥א עֵשָׂ֛ו מִן־הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה וְה֥וּא עָיֵֽף׃ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר עֵשָׂ֜ו אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֗ב הַלְעִיטֵ֤נִי נָא֙ מִן־הָאָדֹ֤ם הָאָדֹם֙ הַזֶּ֔ה כִּ֥י עָיֵ֖ף אָנֹ֑כִי עַל־כֵּ֥ן קָרָֽא־שְׁמ֖וֹ אֱדֽוֹם׃ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר יַעֲקֹ֑ב מִכְרָ֥ה כַיּ֛וֹם אֶת־בְּכֹֽרָתְךָ֖ לִֽי׃ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר עֵשָׂ֔ו הִנֵּ֛ה אָנֹכִ֥י הוֹלֵ֖ךְ לָמ֑וּת וְלָמָּה־זֶּ֥ה לִ֖י בְּכֹרָֽה׃ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יַעֲקֹ֗ב הִשָּׁ֤בְעָה לִּי֙ כַּיּ֔וֹם וַיִּשָּׁבַ֖ע ל֑וֹ וַיִּמְכֹּ֥ר אֶת־בְּכֹרָת֖וֹ לְיַעֲקֹֽב׃ וְיַעֲקֹ֞ב נָתַ֣ן לְעֵשָׂ֗ו לֶ֚חֶם וּנְזִ֣יד עֲדָשִׁ֔ים וַיֹּ֣אכַל וַיֵּ֔שְׁתְּ וַיָּ֖קָם וַיֵּלַ֑ךְ וַיִּ֥בֶז עֵשָׂ֖ו אֶת־הַבְּכֹרָֽה׃ (ס)
Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the open, famished. And Esau said to Jacob, “Give me some of that red stuff to gulp down, for I am famished”—which is why he was named Edom. Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” And Esau said, “I am at the point of death, so of what use is my birthright to me?” But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Jacob then gave Esau bread and lentil stew; he ate and drank, and he rose and went away. Thus did Esau spurn the birthright.
1. Rashi [Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki] (1040-1105)
ויבז עשו. הֵעִיד הַכָּתוּב עַל רִשְׁעוֹ שֶׁבִּזָּה עֲבוֹדָתוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם:
ויבז עשו THUS ESAU DESPISED—Scripture testifies to his wickedness: that he despised the Service of the Omnipresent!
2. Rashbam [Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir, Rashi's grandson] (1085-1158)
ויבז עשו - לפי שלסוף נתחרט על כך, כדכתיב: את בכורתי לקח. לכן הקדים כאן להודיע שטותו עתה בשביל אכילה ביזה את הבכורה, אבל לבסוף היה מתחרט.
ויבז עשו, seeing that eventually Esau regretted having sold his birthright, as we know from 27,36 the Torah goes on record here that he had despised the birthright and had no right to go back on the bargain he had made in full knowledge of what it entailed.
3. Radak [Rabbi David Kimchi] (1160-1235)
ויבז, אפילו לאחר שאכל ושתה לא התחרט ובזה אותה בלבו:
ויבז, even after he had eaten and drunk he did not feel that Yaakov had tricked him and taken advantage of him when he had felt hungry.
4. Stephen Mitchell (1943- ), Genesis: A New Translation of the Classical Biblical Stories, p. 51
Now Rebecca was barren, and Isaac prayed to the Lord for her. And the Lord answered his prayer, and Rebecca conceived. And when it was time for her to give birth, twins came out of her womb. And the first one was red and hairy like a fur cloak; so they named him Esau, The Shaggy One. And then his brother came out, with one hand grasping Esau's heel; so they named him Jacob, Heel-Grasper.
And when the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the open country, and Jacob was a peaceful man who stayed near the tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he brought him venison to eat; but Rebecca loved Jacob.
One day, as Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came back from hunting, and he was famished. And he said to Jacob, "Give me a heap of that red stuff: I'm famished."
And Jacob said, "First sell me your birthright."
And Esau said, "I am dying of hunger: what good is my birthright to me?"
And Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore to him and sold him his birthright. Then Jacob gave Esau Bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and got up and went away. That is how Esau showed how little he valued his birthright.
Now Rebecca was barren, and Isaac prayed to the Lord for her. And the Lord answered his prayer, and Rebecca conceived. And when it was time for her to give birth, twins came out of her womb. And the first one was red and hairy like a fur cloak; so they named him Esau, The Shaggy One. And then his brother came out, with one hand grasping Esau's heel; so they named him Jacob, Heel-Grasper.
And when the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the open country, and Jacob was a peaceful man who stayed near the tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he brought him venison to eat; but Rebecca loved Jacob.
One day, as Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came back from hunting, and he was famished. And he said to Jacob, "Give me a heap of that red stuff: I'm famished."
And Jacob said, "First sell me your birthright."
And Esau said, "I am dying of hunger: what good is my birthright to me?"
And Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore to him and sold him his birthright. Then Jacob gave Esau Bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and got up and went away. That is how Esau showed how little he valued his birthright.
(א) ויבז עשו. גם זאת הבכורה בעבור שראה שאין לאביו עושר. ורבים יתמהו כי עזב לו אברהם ממון רב וכאילו לא ראו כימיהם עשיר גדול בנעוריו ובא לידי עוני בזקוניו. והעד שהיה יצחק אביו אוהב את עשו בעבור צרכו. ואילו היה הלחם רב בבית אביו והוא נכבד בעיניו לא מכר בכורתו בעבור נזיד. ואם היה אביו אוכל בכל יום מטעמים מה טעם אמר הביאה לי ציד. ולמה לא היה ליעקב בגדים חמודות. ולמה לא נתנה לו אמו כסף וזהב בדרך שהוא אומר ונתן לי לחם לאכול ובגד ללבוש. ולמה לא שלחה אליו הון והיא אוהבת אותו כי הוצרך לשמור הצאן. והפסוק שאמר ויגדל האיש קודם זקנותו. ועורי לב יחשבו כי העושר מעלה לצדיקים והנה אליהו יוכיח ועוד ישאלו למה חסר השם ממון ליצחק. אולי יודיעונו למה חסר מאור עיניו. ואל ידחונו בקנה של דרש. כי יש לו סוד ואין לנו לחפש כי עמקו מחשבות השם ואין כח בדעת האדם להבינם וכן אחרי' אמרו הנה צאן יש לו. כי רבקה אמרה לו לך נא אל הצאן ויתכן שנשאר לו מקנה מעט גם נכון הוא להיות פי' לך נא אל הצאן אל מקום הצאן שהן נמכרות
(1) Eisov scorned the birthright. He saw that his father had become poor in his old age and that there was little for him to inherit.
Rabbi Carmiel Cohen - Yeshivat Birkhat Moshe
