Difference between revisions of "Sale of the Birthright – A Fair Deal/2/en"
(Original Author: Judy Snowbell Diamond,Neima Novetsky,Rabbi Hillel Novetsky) |
(Original Author: Judy Snowbell Diamond,Neima Novetsky,Rabbi Hillel Novetsky) |
||
Line 70: | Line 70: | ||
<point><b>Yaakov's payment</b> – The commentators who take this approach subdivide on this point. R. Saadia Gaon posits that Yaakov bought the birthright for a pot of lentil stew, while the Midrash Aggadah and Seforno suggest that he paid full price.<fn>The Midrash maintains that the food served simply to seal the transaction, as was the custom of merchants to eat a meal when closing a business deal. Seforno suggests instead that the food needed to change hands as part of the legal method of purchase called קנין חליפין (acquiring via exchange). He parallels its function to the role played by the exchange of the shoe in the redeemer's selling of the field as described in Ruth 4:7. Cf. Rashbam above.</fn> All agree that Yaakov was motivated by a desire to ensure that the spiritual birthright did not fall into the hands of one who was unworthy.</point> | <point><b>Yaakov's payment</b> – The commentators who take this approach subdivide on this point. R. Saadia Gaon posits that Yaakov bought the birthright for a pot of lentil stew, while the Midrash Aggadah and Seforno suggest that he paid full price.<fn>The Midrash maintains that the food served simply to seal the transaction, as was the custom of merchants to eat a meal when closing a business deal. Seforno suggests instead that the food needed to change hands as part of the legal method of purchase called קנין חליפין (acquiring via exchange). He parallels its function to the role played by the exchange of the shoe in the redeemer's selling of the field as described in Ruth 4:7. Cf. Rashbam above.</fn> All agree that Yaakov was motivated by a desire to ensure that the spiritual birthright did not fall into the hands of one who was unworthy.</point> | ||
<point><b>Biblical parallels</b> – R. Avraham b. HaRambam points to Reuven losing his firstborn status to Yosef and the firstborns of Israel losing their positions to the Levites, as parallel cases of the transfer of the birthright from an unworthy son/group to a more meritorious one.</point> | <point><b>Biblical parallels</b> – R. Avraham b. HaRambam points to Reuven losing his firstborn status to Yosef and the firstborns of Israel losing their positions to the Levites, as parallel cases of the transfer of the birthright from an unworthy son/group to a more meritorious one.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>"הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ לָמוּת"</b> – While Seforno reads this as a declaration of Esav's exhaustion and desperate hunger which led him to agree to the sale, the other commentators connect the statement to the spiritual nature of the birthright. Midrash Aggadah (Buber) and Rashi suggest that Esav was willing to forego the birthright as he recognized the potentially fatal perils<fn>Upon finding out the strict requirements and consequences associated with the service of God, Esav felt that the birthright would ultimately led to his punishment and death for not upholding all the restrictions.</fn> that the priestly position held for one who was not righteous.<fn>Bereshit Rabbah and Midrash Aggadah (Buber) further suggest that in these words Esav portrayed a disbelief in God. Though not explicit, this might refer to a denial of the existence of the World to Come or the resurrection of the dead, as per <multilink><a href="BavliBB16b" data-aht="source">Bavli Bava Batra</a><a href="BavliBB16b" data-aht="source">Bava Batra 16b</a><a href=" | + | <point><b>"הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ לָמוּת"</b> – While Seforno reads this as a declaration of Esav's exhaustion and desperate hunger which led him to agree to the sale, the other commentators connect the statement to the spiritual nature of the birthright. Midrash Aggadah (Buber) and Rashi suggest that Esav was willing to forego the birthright as he recognized the potentially fatal perils<fn>Upon finding out the strict requirements and consequences associated with the service of God, Esav felt that the birthright would ultimately led to his punishment and death for not upholding all the restrictions.</fn> that the priestly position held for one who was not righteous.<fn>Bereshit Rabbah and Midrash Aggadah (Buber) further suggest that in these words Esav portrayed a disbelief in God. Though not explicit, this might refer to a denial of the existence of the World to Come or the resurrection of the dead, as per <multilink><a href="BavliBB16b" data-aht="source">Bavli Bava Batra</a><a href="BavliBB16b" data-aht="source">Bava Batra 16b</a><a href="Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink>, Targum Neofiti Bereshit 25:34, and <multilink><a href="PsJBereshit25-27" data-aht="source">Targum Pseudo-Jonathan</a><a href="PsJBereshit25-27" data-aht="source">Bereshit 25:27-34</a><a href="Targum Pseudo-Jonathan" data-aht="parshan">About Targum Pseudo-Jonathan</a></multilink>. When Esav says he will die, he means that death is final and nothing follows.</fn></point> |
<point><b>Esav's character and calculations</b> | <point><b>Esav's character and calculations</b> | ||
<ul> | <ul> |
Version as of 00:21, 22 January 2015
Sale of the Birthright – A Fair Deal?
Exegetical Approaches
Overview
In attempting to understand Yaakov's and Esav's actions, commentators present a spectrum of opinions as to the essence of the birthright, drawing upon both Biblical parallels and the customs of their own times. Many medieval commentators view the birthright as a material inheritance which bestowed upon its recipient either a double portion of or exclusive rights to the father's entire estate. According to them, Yaakov was justified in its acquisition because he paid its full worth or because he had the right to look out for himself. On the other hand, various Midrashim and Rashi understand the birthright to be the religious responsibility of serving God, and they explain that Esav was simply unworthy of this task. Finally, other exegetes chart a middle course, suggesting that the birthright was really the status of the chosen nation which combines both rewards and responsibilities in the physical and spiritual realms. They view Esav as being unworthy of or disinterested in these challenges.
Monetary Inheritance and Honor
Yaakov purchased the rights to the wealth and honor bestowed upon the firstborn. This approach subdivides regarding the extent of these benefits and the justification for Yaakov's actions:
Paid Fair Value
The birthright constituted a double portion of inheritance, and Yaakov paid its full price.
Worthless to Esav
The birthright was either a double estate portion or merely honored status,8 but either way, was not worth much to Esav.
- Ibn Ezra explains that Esav belittled the birthright because it really was almost worthless due to Yitzchak's poverty.12 He thus does not view the verse as passing moral judgment on Esav.13
- Ramban maintains that Esav's attitude stemmed from his impetuousness and need for immediate gratification. According to Ramban, Esav, like all fools, lived in the moment and never thought about the future.14 Ramban clearly portrays Esav in a negative light.15
Yaakov's Self Interest
The birthright included Yitzchak's full inheritance, and only one son was to receive the entire estate.
Religious Status
The birthright was a priestly status, and Yaakov secured the patriarch's responsibilities to serve God.
- Esav vilified – Most of the commentators who take this position vilify Esav,37 portraying him as an evil person who cared nothing for the service of Hashem.38 Esav did not feel cheated, but happily sold the birthright both because it had no value to him and because he thought that it might lead to his premature death. Moreover, according to Midrash Aggadah (Buber), it was Esav who was the trickster, gloating among fellow villains that he outsmarted his brother who paid for a commodity that he could not legitimately acquire.
- Esav unsuited – Seforno's portrait of Esav is much more neutral, portraying a figure who really was on the verge of death and who was simply not cut out for the demands of the priestly position.39 This combination of factors led to his willingness to sell the birthright.
Avraham's Legacy
Yaakov acquired the rights to the Blessing and Covenant of Avraham. This included the privileges of inheriting the land of Israel and becoming the father of the chosen nation.
- Chizkuni, Abarbanel, and Shadal suggest that Esav is declaring that he is likely to die before obtaining the inheritance. Abarbanel and Shadal46 think that Esav is referring to the perils inherent in his hunting profession. Chizkuni, in contrast, proposes that Esav was thinking that the inheritance of the land of Israel was still centuries away,47 by which point he would be long dead and incapable of benefiting.48
- R. D"Z Hoffmann maintains that Esav feels as if he is literally on the verge of death due to his insatiable desire for the stew,49 and it is this craving that makes him agree to the deal.50
- Agnostic – Lekach Tov and Abarbanel paint an Esav unworthy of fulfilling the legacy of Avraham. Esav was evil and lacking in faith. He did not even believe that Hashem was going to fulfill His promise and give the Land of Israel to Avraham.51
- Slave to his desires – Chizkuni and R. D"Z Hoffmann portray not an evil Esav, but one who lives in the moment, a slave to his physical desires.52 Esav was willing to sell the birthright so as to indulge in his immediate craving, neither thinking of the future nor appreciating the value of spiritual blessings.53