The first one emerged red, like a hairy mantle all over; so they named him Esau.

Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.

Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the open, famished.

והוא עיף AND HE WAS FAINT through murdering people, just as you mention faintness in connection with murder, (Jeremiah 4:31) ‘‘For my soul fainteth before the murderers” (Genesis Rabbah 63:12).

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.

Variantly: "And He said: The L-rd came from Sinai": When the L-rd appeared to give Torah to Israel, it is not to Israel alone that He appeared, but to all of the nations. First He went to the children of Esav, and He asked them: Will you accept the Torah? They asked: What is written in it? He answered: "You shall not kill" (Shemoth 20:13). They answered: The entire essence of our father is murder, as it is written (Bereshith 27:22) "And the hands are the hands of Esav." And it is with this that his father assured him (Ibid. 27:40) "And by your sword shall you live." He then went to the children of Ammon and Moav and asked them: Will you accept the Torah? They asked: What is written in it? He answered "You shall not commit adultery." They answered: L-rd of the Universe, ervah (illicit relations) is our entire essence, as it is written (Ibid. 19:36) "And the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father." He then went and found the children of Yishmael and asked them: Will you accept the Torah? They asked: What is written in it? He answered: "You shall not steal" (Shemoth, Ibid.) They answered: L-rd of the Universe, our father's entire essence is stealing, viz. (Bereshith 16:12) "And he (Yishmael) shall be a wild man, his hand against all." There was none among all of the nations to whom He did not go and speak and knock at their door, asking if they would accept the Torah, viz. (Psalms 138:4) "All the kings of the earth will acknowledge You, O L-rd, for they heard the words of Your mouth." I might think they heard and accepted; it is, therefore, written (Ezekiel 33:31) "And they did not do them (the mitzvoth)." And (Michah 5:14) "And with anger and wrath will I take revenge of the nations because they did not accept (the mitzvoth)." And even the seven mitzvoth that the sons of Noach took upon themselves they could not abide by, until they divested themselves of them and ceded them to Israel. An analogy: One sent his ass and his dog to the threshing floor, loading his ass with a lethech (a dry measure) and his dog with three sa’ah. The ass went and the dog buckled, whereupon he took a sa'ah from it and put it on the ass; and so with the second (sa’ah) and so with the third. Here, too, Israel accepted the Torah with all of its explanations and inferences; but the sons of Noach could not even abide by the seven mitzvoth that they did take upon themselves, until they divested themselves of them and ceded them to Israel, wherefore it is written "And he said: The L-rd came from Sinai, etc."

(1) ועל חרבך תחיה, “and you will live (survive) by means of your sword.” This blessing was an acceptance by Yitzchak of Esau’s vocation as a hunter, a person who spends most of his time in wildernesses, uncivilised countries where danger always lurks. It was appropriate then that Yitzchak assured his son of protection against these dangers, blessing his sword as an instrument of his survival, so to speak. Esau’s patron was the planet Mars, the planet associated with warfare, bloodshed, with the sword. This is why the descendants of Esau also excelled in military conquest. Basically, Esau’s patron in the celestial spheres indulges in killing and represents the power of the sword in this world. In order to contrast Yaakov’s (Jewish) philosophy with that of Esau, the Torah legislated that the altar or Sanctuary of the Jewish people must be built without any metal instruments being used as these instruments symbolise war and bloodshed. In connection with the construction of the Tabernacle, the Torah writes in Exodus 25,3 where the materials to be donated for that structure are listed, that gold, silver and copper are to be contributed. Iron was not solicited as a contribution at all. In Kings I 6,7 we are told ומקבות והגרזן כל כלי ברזל לא נשמע בבית בהבנותו, “and hammers and axes and any other iron instruments were not heard in connection with the Temple’s being built.” The reason was that iron symbolised war and the sword which brings destruction to the world. The function of the Temple, on the other hand, is to ensure hat the world endures. (2) ואת אחיך תעבוד, “and you will serve your brother.” Provided Yaakov deserves his blessing.
והיה כאשר תריד, “and when you are aggrieved, etc.,” when Yaakov is not in a state when he deserves his blessing.
ופרקת עולו מעל צוארך, “you will cast off his yoke from your neck.” This is in line with the opinion of Onkelos who translates this verse as: “when they violate the commandments of the Torah.”

But Edom answered him, “You shall not pass through us, else we will go out against you with the sword.”

Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem’s fall;
how they cried, “Strip her, strip her
to her very foundations!”

This is the line of Esau—that is, Edom.

Who is the man of wisdom, that may rightly boast of wisdom? 'Tis he who, recognising the sinful thing, keepeth himself aloof from it.

ויהי עשו יודע ציד איש שדה, ויעקב איש תם יושב אהלים, “Esau became a hunter, a man of the field, whereas Yaakov was a simple man a dweller in tents.” This verse conveys the fact that though the brothers were twins they had totally different interests in life. Esau pursued the material pleasures available in life whereas Yaakov was of a philosophical bent. This is why the Torah characterises the difference in the two phrases that Esau was a man of the field, i.e. a man dedicated to the earth, the physical. This is why later on he is called אדום, a word closely reminiscent of אדמה, earth. It is a well known fact that if man dedicates himself to the pursuit of the pleasures which life has to offer, this estranges him to G’d and makes it difficult for him to serve the Lord at the same time as he is busy pursuing his major concerns. Making earthiness a priority must result in making godliness a secondary concern. We see this best reflected when Esau sold the birthright and the Torah (25,34) describes this in a few words: ויאכל וישת ויקם וילך, ויבז עשו את הבכורה, “he ate, he drank, he arose and went of his way; thus Esau demonstrated his disdain for the birthright.” Anyone who is characterised by this negative virtue will eventually find himself deceived. [I believe the author means that sooner or later such people will be disappointed in what they had expected out of life. Ed.] In the case of Esau we find him describing himself as deceived twice when he said to his father (27, 36) “and he (Yaakov) has tricked me twice, he took my birthright and now he has taken my blessing.” Whatever pleasures and satisfactions such people do experience are only temporary and the time will come when they rue their former lifestyle and they cry out bitterly when they realize that “life” has deceived them. This is what Solomon had in mind when he said in Proverbs 5,3-4: “for the lips of an immoral woman drip honey; her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.” This is precisely the lifestyle of Esau and all those who support him. The philosophy and lifestyle of Yaakov are diametrically opposed to this, for someone characterized as איש תם and as יושב אהלים is the antithesis of someone described as יודע ציד, איש שדה. Not only this, whatever Esau was willing to give up, i.e. to sell, Yaakov was anxious to buy. When the Torah speaks about the dish of lentils, something round, always returning to its beginning, this merely illustrates the concept of the pursuit of the pleasures of this world. This physical universe and all the phenomena in it are constantly being recycled, as Solomon said already at the beginning of Kohelet: “there is nothing new under the sun.” What is perceived as progress, eventually is seen to be merely a retread of something old. Yaakov who had perceived this was therefore anxious to sell such “merchandise,” in return for something which promised enduring progress. The instrument of securing this spiritual progress is the birthright, as it represents the privilege of performing service for the Lord in sacred precincts. Know that seeing the Torah had described both Esau and Yaakov already as איש, i.e. adult, mature in years, it is clear that they must have been at least 13 years of age at the time Yaakov bought the birthright from his twin brother. If, as the Midrash told us, Avraham died five years early in order not to experience how Esau displayed his disdain for spiritual values, this means that the brothers were 15 years old at the time the sale of the birthright took place. Avraham was 160 years old at the time Yaakov and Esau were born. He died at the age of 175, i.e. at a time when his grandchildren were 15 years of age. There is also an allusion in our verse that people such as Esau are slated for Gehinom whereas people such as Yaakov are destined for Gan Eden.
We read in Bereshit Rabbah 65,22 that when Yaakov entered Yitzchak’s room in order to receive the blessing, Gan Eden entered with him. On the other hand, when Esau entered the same room a little later, Gehinom entered with him. We have a Midrash Tanchuma Parshat Tzav, 2 which expresses a similar sentiment when the author writes that the words היא העולה, ”it is the burnt-offering” (Leviticus 6,2), are a reference to a nation which is totally אדומית, wrapped up in earthly concerns, and which elevates itself as is written in Ovadiah 4, “even if you rise as high as the eagle I will bring you down, על מוקדה, on the site of the altar where the fire is burning.” The word is a reference to the fires of Gehinom in the hereafter. The words of Daniel 7,11 apply to such people ויהבת ליקדת אשא, “and consigned to the fire’s burning.”

“Her days to give birth were complete” (Genesis 25:24) – elsewhere they are incomplete, and here they are complete. Elsewhere it is written: “Twins [teomim]” (Genesis 38:27) – Peretz and Zeraḥ were both righteous, but here, “tomim” – Jacob was righteous, Esau, wicked.
“The first emerged ruddy” (Genesis 25:25) – Rabbi Ḥagai said in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: Due to the merit of: “You shall take for you on the first day” (Leviticus 23:40), I reveal myself to you first, as it is stated: “I am first and I am last” (Isaiah 44:6); I will exact retribution on your behalf from the first – that is Esau, as it is written: “The first emerged”; I will build for you the first – this is the Temple, in whose regard it is written: “Throne of glory, exalted from the first, [is the place of our Temple]” (Jeremiah 17:12); and I will bring you the first, this is the messianic king, in whose regard it is written: “The first to Zion, behold, here it is” (Isaiah 41:27).
Another matter, “the first emerged ruddy” – why did Esau emerge first? It was so he would emerge and his corruption would depart with him. Rabbi Abahu said: It is like that bathhouse attendant who washes the bathhouse and then bathes the king’s son. So, why did Esau emerge first? It was so he would emerge and his corruption would depart with him.
A noblewoman asked Rabbi Yosei ben Ḥalafta, she said to him: ‘Why did Esau emerge first?’ He said to her: ‘The first droplet was Jacob’s.’ He said to her: ‘This is analogous to an instance where you place two pearls into one tube, is it not the one that you placed first that will emerge last? So, the first droplet was Jacob’s.’
“Ruddy,” Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: As though he were a shedder of blood. When Samuel saw that David was ruddy, as it is written: “He sent and brought him and he was ruddy” (I Samuel 16:12), he was afraid and said: ‘This is a shedder of blood like Esau.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “With beautiful eyes” (I Samuel 16:12). Esau killed at his own initiative, but this one kills at the initiative of Sanhedrin.
The emperor Diocletian was a swineherd near Tiberias. When he would come to the study hall of Rabbi, the children would go out and strike him. Sometime later, he became emperor, and he descended and resided near the Panyas; variant reading: Pamyas, and he sent directives to Tiberias just before nightfall on Thursday: ‘I decree that the prominent leaders of the Jews shall appear before me before morning on Sunday.’ He commanded the emissary and said to him: ‘Do not deliver them [the directives] to them until sunset on Friday.’ Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman went down to bathe. He saw Rabbi standing before the great study hall, and he saw that his face was sickly. He said to him: ‘Why is your face sickly?’ ‘Such and such directives were sent to me by the empire.’ He said to him: ‘Come and bathe, as your Creator performs miracles on our behalf.’ They entered to bathe, and the demon Arginiton came, and was laughing and dancing before them. Rabbi wanted to scold him. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said to him: ‘Leave him alone, as sometimes he appears for the purpose of miracles.’ He said to him: ‘Your master is in distress and you are standing, laughing, and dancing.’ He [the demon] said to them: ‘Go eat and drink and observe a fine Shabbat, as your Master will perform miracles on your behalf, and I will have you stand before him on Sunday morning.’ At the conclusion of Shabbat, after the service, he took them and stood them outside the gates of Panyas.
They [servants] entered and said to him [Diocletian]: ‘They are standing before the gates.’ He said: ‘Close the gates.’ He [the demon] took them [the Rabbis] and placed them on the city wall. They [servants] entered and told him [Diocletian]. He said: ‘I decree that they should heat the bathhouse for three days, and then they will enter, bathe, and come before me.’ They went and heated the bathhouse for three days, and one of the Arginiton demons entered and diluted it for them. They entered, bathed, and came before him. He said to them: ‘Because you know that your God performs miracles on your behalf, you belittle the emperor.’ They said to him: ‘We belittle Diocletian the swineherd, but we are subjugated to Diocletian the emperor.’ He said to them: ‘Even so, do not demean a young Roman, and not a low ranking soldier.’ “All of him like a cloak of [kaaderet] hair” (Genesis 25:25) – all of him is worthy of the cloak.
The Rabbis of the South in the name of Rabbi Alexandri, and Raḥava in the name of Rabbi Kahana said: He came out all unkempt and scattered like an aderet – like the chaff and the straw from the threshing floor [idera]. That is what is written: “Then the iron…were pulverized, and became like the chaff from the threshing floors [idrei] of summer” (Daniel 2:35). Rabbi Hanina bar Yithak said: What caused them to be pulverized? “From the threshing floors [me’idera] of the summer” (Daniel 2:35) – it is because they extended their hands against the great [adirim].
“They called his name Esau [Esav]” (Genesis 25:25) – this is the falsehood [heh shav] that I created in My world. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: You called your swine a name, I, too, call My firstborn son a name: “So said the Lord: My son, My firstborn, is Israel” (Exodus 4:22).