The dilemma of Esau and Sealing the Decision to Choose the Patriarchs

In When was Abraham chosen? we demonstrated that Abraham was not selected to be the progenitor of the Chosen People until he completed all ten tests assigned by God.  But we also asked whether the ten tests were enough for him to be selected, or whether Isaac and Jacob also needed to pass some tests.

We understand why Ishmael was not selected.  He was born from a different mother; he was born before Abraham passed all of his tests; one test was even that he needed to be expelled.  But, there is a dilemma when we look at Esau.  If at his birth it was already decided that Abraham was “Chosen”, then why not Esau?  Consider that Jacob’s children, even if they sinned terribly (e.g. selling their brother into slavery), are all considered part of our people.  If all of Jacob’s children are accepted, why not all of Isaac’s children – both of which were born to the same mother Rebecca?

Our Sages try to address this quandary by looking at Genesis 21:12. God tells Abraham that “in Isaac will be your seed.” They infer that Abraham’s legacy will be “in Isaac,” but not “all of Isaac.” Notably, Esau does not get Abraham’s legacy.

This derivation illustrates our Sages’ discomfort with the fact that Esau is excluded. They need a biblical verse to explain why it happened. Unfortunately, this verse does not provide a compelling answer. It does explain the fact that Esau is excluded. But it does not describe the mechanism or the rationale to exclude Esau but include all the sons of Jacob.  The fact that Esau could be excluded leads to the inescapable conclusion that the testing procedure to qualify the Patriarchs was not yet complete.

The three qualifications that Abraham needed to demonstrate in his ten tests were belief, obedience, and commitment to transmission. He clearly demonstrated obedience and belief.

The third characteristic was more complicated. Consider the verse in which we learned the importance of transmission. God says about Abraham “that he may command his children” (Gen 18:19). That’s the teaching part of transmission. Abraham achieved that in his lifetime. But the verse continues, “and his household after him that they may keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and justice.” It is not sufficient to teach. It is necessary that the lessons be absorbed, learned, implemented, and re-taught.

Thus, for Abraham to demonstrate commitment to the mission of transmission required more than transmitting to Isaac. How do we know if the teacher worked hard enough to achieve the task of successful transmission? A teacher succeeds by demonstrating that at least one of his or her student has become a teacher. The student must accept the content of what is being transmitted and in turn demonstrate successful transmission.

Thus, Abraham’s role of transmitter was not complete until he trained Isaac to be a transmitter, and Isaac, in turn successfully trained at least one of his children in the word of God.

Why is one full generation’s demonstration of transmission adequate? It does not guarantee that the transmission will continue forever. But God could not expect a demonstration of infinite transmissions. So, He insisted that one generation of successful transmission take place.

Based on this understanding of the qualification of transmission, we can pinpoint the moment that the decision about the Patriarchal family was sealed.   It was the moment that the Torah verified that Issac has successfully transmitted to Jacob.  That also explains why Esau was excluded, despite being Isaac’s son.

The Torah reports that Jacob sat in tents (Gen 25:27). Rashi explains that these were the tents of the two great teachers of that day, Shem and Ever.  This is where Isaac ensured that Jacob learned Torah.  Nothing else needed to be done. Isaac had succeeded. Jacob would eagerly learn and transmit the word of God.

The proof text that Isaac had successfully completed the test of transmission appears immediately in the next chapter of Genesis. There is a famine (Gen 26:1) and God appears to Isaac (Gen 26:2). He tells him that all promises made to Abraham will be passed on to Isaac and his descendants (Gen 26:3). Isaac’s descendants will be numerous, will inherit the land, and will be the source of blessing for all nations (Gen 26:4). Then God gives the reason for these promises (Gen 26:5). It is because Abraham “listened to God”. How do we know he “listened to God”?  The multigenerational transmission was the last remaining item to be tested for and had just been completed.  The role of the Patriarchs as the progenitors of the Chosen People was sealed.

Thus, when transmission to Jacob succeeded, God came to Isaac to close the loop – the baton had been passed. The long testing regimen, lasting over a hundred years, had been completed.

There is another textual clue to support the assertion that with Isaac’s transmission to Jacob, the testing is complete. Jacob was born when Isaac was 60 and Abraham 160. When Jacob reached age 13, Isaac was 73 and Abraham 173. Roughly two years later, Abraham died. At his death, the Torah describes Abraham as “in a good old age.” It seems that the goodness is the completion of his mission, which had just happened.

Why was Esau excluded?  Neither Jacob nor Esau were automatically included because they were born before the decision on the Patriarchs was sealed.  Presumably Isaac tried to transmit to both, we see how close Isaac was to Esau.  But Esau was not interested.  By not accepting transmission, he chose for himself to be outside the clan.  But Jacob’s sons – even if they sinned – were included because the decision on the Patriarchs was sealed prior to their births.

Transmitting to the children was not left to Isaac alone.  Genesis chapter 24 is one of the longest chapters in the Torah, with sixty-seven verses. It is dedicated entirely to Abraham’s servant Eliezer finding Rebecca as Isaac’s mate. Given the small number of verses associated with Isaac’s life overall, it is astonishing that so much text is dedicated to this effort. Why?

If we accept the assumption that the overarching goal for Isaac’s life was to demonstrate success at the mission of transmission, it becomes clear why this search for a mate was so central. Isaac needed a partner in this mission.  Since parenting is a joint project of father and mother, the importance of selecting the right spouse was paramount.

The conclusion of Genesis chapter 24 emphasizes that the search is related to Rebecca’s focus on the mission of transmission: “And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent”. Rebecca was to be the new Sarah. She needed to fulfill the role that Sarah had played in the previous generation. Famously, Sarah was involved in the transmission of the word of God to everyone.

In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon says that “a three-stranded cord will not quickly be broken.” Rashi explains that the three-stranded cord refers to a person who is a scholar, his son, and his grandson. With such merit, the Torah will never cease from his seed. This again emphasizes that transmission is considered successful only when the initial receiver becomes a transmitter.