Difference between revisions of "Sale of the Birthright – A Fair Deal/2/en"
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<point><b>Evaluation of Yaakov's actions</b> – This position maintains that Yaakov did not take advantage of his brother's hunger, as Esav was not in danger of imminent death. Neither did Yaakov swindle Esav, as the price reflected Esav's valuation of the birthright.</point> | <point><b>Evaluation of Yaakov's actions</b> – This position maintains that Yaakov did not take advantage of his brother's hunger, as Esav was not in danger of imminent death. Neither did Yaakov swindle Esav, as the price reflected Esav's valuation of the birthright.</point> | ||
<point><b>Does Yaakov ever receive the birthright?</b> The Torah does not specify that Yaakov ever received a double portion of Yitzchak's inheritance.<fn>Ramban raises the possibility that the custom of the firstborn receiving a double portion did not exist before the Torah was given, and that the birthright was only inheriting the honored status as patriarch of the family.</fn></point> | <point><b>Does Yaakov ever receive the birthright?</b> The Torah does not specify that Yaakov ever received a double portion of Yitzchak's inheritance.<fn>Ramban raises the possibility that the custom of the firstborn receiving a double portion did not exist before the Torah was given, and that the birthright was only inheriting the honored status as patriarch of the family.</fn></point> | ||
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<point><b>Does Yaakov receive the birthright?</b> All agree that Yaakov's descendants, rather than Esav's, became the chosen nation, and the inheritors of Avraham's legacy.<fn>Akeidat Yitzchak proves that Yaakov's orchestrations to purchase the birthright were ultimately vindicated from the fact that Yitzchak did give the blessing of Avraham to Yaakov (Bereshit 28:4) and from Hashem's usage of the phrase "בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל" (Shemot 4:22). Both Yitzchak and God, thus, confirmed Yaakov and his descendants as the true inheritors of the Covenant.</fn> R. D"Z Hoffmann, though, suggests that this inheritance had nothing to do with the sale,<fn>He points out that Yaakov never gets any special privileges as a direct result of the sale, nor does his father ever point to it to validate his rights to Avraham's blessing.</fn> which was more like child's play with no legal standing. Lekach Tov and Shadal, in contrast, point out how Esav acted upon the oath taken during the sale, and, after his father's death, moved to Seir, staking no claim on the Land of Israel.</point> | <point><b>Does Yaakov receive the birthright?</b> All agree that Yaakov's descendants, rather than Esav's, became the chosen nation, and the inheritors of Avraham's legacy.<fn>Akeidat Yitzchak proves that Yaakov's orchestrations to purchase the birthright were ultimately vindicated from the fact that Yitzchak did give the blessing of Avraham to Yaakov (Bereshit 28:4) and from Hashem's usage of the phrase "בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל" (Shemot 4:22). Both Yitzchak and God, thus, confirmed Yaakov and his descendants as the true inheritors of the Covenant.</fn> R. D"Z Hoffmann, though, suggests that this inheritance had nothing to do with the sale,<fn>He points out that Yaakov never gets any special privileges as a direct result of the sale, nor does his father ever point to it to validate his rights to Avraham's blessing.</fn> which was more like child's play with no legal standing. Lekach Tov and Shadal, in contrast, point out how Esav acted upon the oath taken during the sale, and, after his father's death, moved to Seir, staking no claim on the Land of Israel.</point> | ||
</opinion> | </opinion> | ||
+ | </category> | ||
+ | <category>Yaakov's Self Interest | ||
+ | <p>The birthright included Yitzchak's full inheritance, and only one son was to receive the entire estate.</p> | ||
+ | <mekorot> | ||
+ | <multilink><a href="RYBSBereshit25-34" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a><a href="RYBSBereshit25-29" data-aht="source">Bereshit 25:29-30</a><a href="RYBSBereshit25-34" data-aht="source">Bereshit 25:34</a><a href="R. Yosef Bekhor Shor" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="MelekhetBereshit27-39" data-aht="source">Melekhet Machshevet</a><a href="MelekhetBereshit27-39" data-aht="source">Bereshit 27:39-40</a><a href="R. Moshe Hefetz (Melekhet Machshevet)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe Hefetz</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="HoilBereshit25-32" data-aht="source">Hoil Moshe</a><a href="HoilBereshit25-32" data-aht="source">Bereshit 25:32</a><a href="R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi (Hoil Moshe)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi</a></multilink> | ||
+ | </mekorot> | ||
+ | <point><b>Primogeniture</b> – The Melekhet Machshevet posits that in Biblical times, like feudal France in his own era, the father's entire estate and patriarchal status were inherited by his eldest son,<fn>See also R"Y Bekhor Shor's formulation "שאתה בכור ותקח הכל".</fn> with younger sons either serving the older one, enlisting in the royal army,<fn>The Melekhet Machshevet explains that this is the meaning of Yitzchak's words to Esav "וְעַל חַרְבְּךָ תִחְיֶה וְאֶת אָחִיךָ תַּעֲבֹד" in Bereshit 27:40. He reads the <i>vav</i> of "וְאֶת" as meaning "or".</fn> or venturing out on their own.<fn>The Torah states regarding Avraham's inheritance, "וַיִּתֵּן אַבְרָהָם אֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ לְיִצְחָק" and then proceeds to mention that Avraham gave only gifts to his other children before sending them away (Bereshit 25:5-6). This could possibly serve as a Biblical precedent for a father giving all of his estate to a single son and sending off the others. However, in that case, Yitzchak is the only son from Avraham's primary wife, Sarah.</fn></point> | ||
+ | <point><b>"הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ לָמוּת"</b> – R"Y Bekhor Shor interprets these words in their most literal sense; Esav is exhausted from an extended hunting expedition and is veritably on the verge of dying of hunger.<fn>Cf. <multilink><a href="Jubilees24" data-aht="source">Jubilees</a><a href="Jubilees24" data-aht="source">Chapter 24</a><a href="Jubilees" data-aht="parshan">About Jubilees</a></multilink> which places the birthright episode in the context of the famine described in Bereshit 26.</fn> R"Y Bekhor Shor assumes that the incident took place far from their city and parents' home,<fn>The language of "וַיָּבֹא עֵשָׂו מִן הַשָּׂדֶה" is difficult, however, according to his proposal.</fn> and thus Esav really did not have any alternative sources of food.<fn>The Hoil Moshe, on the other hand, interprets (like Rashbam's father and others above) that Esav was merely acknowledging that he lived the dangerous life of a hunter. Thus, due to his lifestyle and life expectancy, he had no aspirations to be the head of the household.</fn></point> | ||
+ | <point><b>It was a steal</b> – R"Y Bekhor Shor maintains that Yaakov paid for the birthright with a bowl of lentil stew, rather than money.<fn>R"Y Bekhor Shor flatly rejects ("והוא בדאות בעיני") the position of Rashbam above that there was a separate monetary payment (in addition to the covenantal meal of bread and lentils), apparently because he felt it has little basis in the text.</fn> According to him, Yaakov was able to make a great deal for himself by taking full advantage of the leverage he had due to Esav's dire circumstances.<fn>For the Hoil Moshe, though, providing the stew symbolized that Yaakov acquired the head of household position, and this entailed taking responsibility for the family's needs and providing meals regularly for Esav. The Hoil Moshe is following the general idea of the second approach espoused by <multilink><a href="AbarbanelBereshit25" data-aht="source">Abarbanel</a><a href="AbarbanelBereshit25" data-aht="source">Bereshit 25</a><a href="R. Yitzchak Abarbanel" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel</a></multilink> and adopted by <multilink><a href="ShadalBereshit25-31" data-aht="source">Shadal</a><a href="ShadalBereshit25-31" data-aht="source">Bereshit 25:31</a><a href="R. Shemuel David Luzzatto (Shadal)" data-aht="parshan">About R. S.D. Luzzatto</a></multilink>.</fn></point> | ||
+ | <point><b>"וַיִּבֶז עֵשָׂו אֶת הַבְּכֹרָה" and Esav's character</b> – R"Y Bekhor Shor is sympathetic to Esav's willingness to sell the birthright, viewing it as natural human instinct to put one's life before one's money. Esav's decision was thus a very rational one, rather than impulsive.<fn>For more on R"Y Bekhor Shor's view of Esav's character, see <a href="A Portrait of Esav" data-aht="page">A Portrait of Esav</a>.</fn> R"Y Bekhor Shor adds that Esav trusted that his father's love would ensure that despite the sale he would still be able to inherit all.<fn>In contrast, the Hoil Moshe characterizes Esav as acting impulsively and later regretting his decision. Nonetheless, Hoil Moshe points out a favorable side to Esav that he respected and fulfilled the deal by settling in Seir and making peace with his brother. Cf. Abarbanel and Shadal.</fn> See also his <multilink><a href="RYBSBereshit27-4" data-aht="source">interpretations in Chapter 27</a><a href="RYBSBereshit27-2" data-aht="source">Bereshit 27:2</a><a href="RYBSBereshit27-4" data-aht="source">Bereshit 27:4</a><a href="RYBSBereshit27-10" data-aht="source">Bereshit 27:10</a><a href="RYBSBereshit27-13" data-aht="source">Bereshit 27:13</a><a href="RYBSBereshit27-41" data-aht="source">Bereshit 27:41</a><a href="R. Yosef Bekhor Shor" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a></multilink> that Yitzchak, in fact, tried to help Esav evade the consequences of the sale by using the method of a "living will".<fn>In Chapter 27, R"Y Bekhor Shor is also consistent in justifying Yaakov's actions as merely trying to protect what was rightfully his from the birthright sale.</fn></point> | ||
+ | <point><b>Evaluation of Yaakov's actions</b> – This position views the inheritance as a winner takes all, with the loser receiving nothing. As such, it is understandable that Yaakov places his own interests ahead of his brother's and looks out only for his own welfare. The birthright was a zero sum game, and without his bold act, Yaakov would have been left empty handed upon his father's death and forced to find a different land of his own.<fn>See above that according to the Melekhet Machshevet, upon the death of a father, the younger siblings must serve the eldest or fend for themselves.</fn> Yaakov's actions cut a portrait of a hard-nosed businessman engaged in cut-throat competition, but they are not deceptive.<fn>According to R"Y Bekhor Shor, Yaakov forthrightly acknowledges that his interests are purely selfish: "כמו שאתה רוצה לעצמך, אני אוהב לעצמי, ואיני אוהבך יותר ממני".</fn> Alternatively, a more critical view of Yaakov's conduct is taken by <multilink><a href="RadakBereshit25-34" data-aht="source">Radak</a><a href="RadakBereshit25-31" data-aht="source">Bereshit 25:31</a><a href="RadakBereshit25-34" data-aht="source">Bereshit 25:34</a><a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About R. David Kimchi</a></multilink>.<fn>Radak faults Yaakov for attempting to evade the social norms which bestow honor upon the firstborn. He suggests that Yaakov was ultimately punished for attempting to avoid honoring Esav, and thus later in life he was forced to bow down before and bestow gifts upon his brother (see Bereshit 32-33). Cf. the picture painted by <multilink><a href="Josephus2-1-1" data-aht="source">Josephus</a><a href="Josephus2-1-1" data-aht="source">Antiquities 2:1:1</a><a href="Josephus" data-aht="parshan">About Josephus</a></multilink>, and see Esav's own perspective when he says "וַיַּעְקְבֵנִי זֶה פַעֲמַיִם".<p>For other cases where Radak (and Ramban in his footsteps) expresses criticism of Patriarchal conduct, see Radak Bereshit 16:6, <a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About Radak</a>, and <a href="$">Patriarchal Conduct</a>. See also the parallel discussion in Bereshit 27 with regard to Yaakov's "stealing" of the blessings from Esav.</p></fn></point> | ||
+ | <point><b>Does Yaakov ever receive the birthright?</b> The Melekhet Machshevet and Hoil Moshe note that Yaakov indeed inherited all of Yitzchak's land holdings, and Esav was forced to emigrate from the land of Israel and carve out his own territory.<fn>See Bereshit 36:6-7.</fn></point> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
</approaches> | </approaches> | ||
</page> | </page> | ||
</aht-xml> | </aht-xml> |
Version as of 11:10, 10 November 2018
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.
Paid Fair Value
Yaakov did not cheat Esav as he paid for the full worth of the birthright. This position subdivides regarding whether Yaakov paid more for the birthright than is generally assumed, or whether the birthright was worth less than often thought.
Paid Full Price
The birthright constituted a double portion of inheritance, and Yaakov paid its full price in money.
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
Esav Unworthy
The birthright was a spiritual (rather than financial) commodity which Esav was both unworthy of and uninterested in receiving. This position divides regarding what rights this religious position granted:
Priestly 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,22 portraying him as an evil person who cared nothing for the service of Hashem.23 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.24 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 Shadal31 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,32 by which point he would be long dead and incapable of benefiting.33
- 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,34 and it is this craving that makes him agree to the deal.35
- 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.36
- 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.37 Esav was willing to sell the birthright so as indulge in his immediate craving, neither thinking of the future nor appreciating the value of spiritual blessings.38
Yaakov's Self Interest
The birthright included Yitzchak's full inheritance, and only one son was to receive the entire estate.