Portion Toldot
Genesis 25:19–28:9
This week’s parsha finds us caught in the middle of biblical history and the current events of the world we live in today, thousands of years later. What unfolds is a foundational building block for the children of God and a defined root of the unsettling struggle occurring in Jerusalem to this day. In this story, we meet two brothers—twins—born to Isaac and his wife, Rebecca. The Sages teach that the two will never be mighty simultaneously; when one rises, the other will fall. History has demonstrated this prophecy in practice. Two regimes—one espousing morality and justice, the other standing for license and barbarity—cannot long coexist. They are destined to remain in conflict until one ultimately dominates, whether through victory on the battlefield or in the contest of people’s minds.
[Genesis 25:22–23, ESV]
22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.
23 And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”
The Hebrew word for “struggle” in this passage is Rāsas, which means: oppress, break, crack to pieces, crush, discourage, or bruise.
At this point in the story, the significance of an heir emerges. Being the firstborn was no small task. Generally, the firstborn would inherit the spiritual authority through the birthright and the financial authority through the blessing. Upon the father’s death, the firstborn would become the patriarch of the family, clan, or tribe.
[Genesis 25:24–28, ESV]
24 When her days to give birth were completed, there were twins in her womb.
25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau.
26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.
28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebecca loved Jacob.
The Hebrew word for “quiet” is Tām, which means: complete, morally pious, gentle, perfect, upright, or undefiled.
This is not the first time we see God disrupt the traditions of the time. The firstborn son was of utmost significance to a family. However, God did the same with Abraham and his sons, Isaac and Ishmael. Per tradition, both Ishmael and Esau would have had claims as firstborn heirs. Yet God declared them unfit and appointed their younger siblings instead.
[Genesis 17:18–19, ESV]
18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”
19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.”
This is where the story shifts. God’s promise to Rebecca begins to naturally manifest in the boys’ behaviors and personalities. Jacob, living a morally upright life, contrasts with Esau, who is drawn to worldly desires. Esau, a skilled hunter, routinely demonstrates a preference for the world around him over the spirit of God within him. This becomes evident when Esau sells his birthright to Jacob.
[Genesis 25:29–34, ESV]
29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted.
30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!”
31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.”
32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?”
33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus, Esau despised his birthright.
Esau holds his responsibility as the firstborn spiritual leader of the clan in such low regard that he is willing to relinquish it for a bowl of stew. The reason lentil stew was being prepared was that Abraham had just died. Lentil stew is the traditional meal of mourning in Hebrew culture. Instead of staying home to assist in family matters, Esau’s morally defective decision leads him to sell one of the two greatest privileges a firstborn son could possess.
Esau’s heart of stone is further revealed when he takes two Hittite women as his wives, making life bitter for Isaac and Rebecca. The Hittites were descendants of Canaan, Noah’s cursed grandson. As a result, Esau introduces idolatry and a tainted bloodline into his lineage.
Just as Abraham sought to favor Ishmael in God’s eyes, Isaac is prepared to do the same with Esau. As Isaac grows old and his days are numbered, he requests that Esau prepare a meal from the game he hunts so that he may bless him—the blessing of the firstborn, also known as the double portion blessing. This blessing is the financial inheritance of the family. While Esau despised the spiritual birthright, he springs into action at the prospect of inheriting the family’s wealth.
Rebecca and Jacob devise a plan to ensure that Isaac’s blessing is bestowed upon Jacob instead of Esau. After Jacob successfully receives the blessing through deception, Esau realizes he has been supplanted a second time. He cries out to Isaac, claiming that Jacob has taken both his birthright and his blessing—even though Esau willingly sold the birthright. Esau’s corruption is evident as he plots to kill Jacob in retaliation.
This story raises questions within us as readers. At first glance, it may appear that Jacob, not Esau, is the antagonist. After all, Jacob seizes an opportunity to take the birthright when Esau is famished and deceives his father to obtain the blessing. However, when we examine the broader context, Esau consistently demonstrates his unfitness to carry on God’s covenant.
Esau neglects his duties as the firstborn when Abraham dies and willingly sells his birthright due to his poor choices. He marries Hittite women, introduces idolatry into the family, and values only the material blessing, disregarding the spiritual significance of his position. Finally, he plots to kill Jacob, showing a heart hardened by bitterness.
In Genesis 32, Esau’s demeanor changes when Jacob sends gifts ahead as a gesture of reconciliation. Initially, Esau approaches Jacob with 400 men, but the encounter ends in an embrace. This moment shows a shift in their relationship, though the deeper spiritual themes remain unchanged.
We are constantly at odds with our spirituality. The ways of the world pull, twist, and distract us, making us covetous, deceitful, and hostile. The struggle within us mirrors the story of Jacob and Esau: the spiritual birthright we have through Jesus versus the fleshly desires enticed by sin and Satan.
Like Esau, we may find ourselves morally compromised and spiritually depleted, choosing physical gratification over spiritual prosperity. Esau rationalized his decision by saying, “I am about to die,” just as we often justify our indulgence in material wealth, pleasure, or comfort at the expense of our spiritual inheritance.
If we choose to abandon our spiritual birthright as priests in God’s kingdom, we forfeit the blessings of God along with it.
[Malachi 1:2–3, ESV]
2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?”
“Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord.
“Yet I have loved Jacob 3 but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.”
[Romans 9:13, ESV]
As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
God hates the Esau within us. We are spiritual beings, and only by nourishing our spirituality can we fully grasp the depth of God’s love for us. This love is most clearly displayed through the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus, who paid the price for our sins and redeemed our spiritual birthright.
[Hebrews 12:15–17, ESV]
15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.
17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
Through Jesus, we are called to be Tām—complete, morally upright, and undefiled—so that we may embrace the fullness of God’s promise.