This week’s edition of Midrash HaShavua has been generously sponsored by Moshe Enayatian.
“And Rivqa took the coveted/desirable clothes of Esav, her older son.” These were the clothes that he [Esav] desired from Nimrod, so he killed him and took them, as it is written, ‘the wicked man covets the spoils of evil men.’ “That were with her in the house.” That he would serve his father while wearing them.
Another idea. “[And Esav said] ‘behold, I am going to die.’” Because Nimrod sought to kill him [Esav] for that garment, which had belonged to Adam the First, for when he would wear it and go out into the field, every wild animal and bird in the world would gather around him.
The Torah recounts that, prior to sending him to serve his father food and steal the blessings originally meant for Esav, Rivqa dressed Yaaqov in “the desirable clothes of Esav, her older son” which she happened to have with her at home. These two Midrashim disagree on the details of the history of these particular garments. One source claims that they originally belonged to Nimrod, whom Esav murdered in order to take them. Another maintains that Nimrod was in pursuit of Esav hoping to kill him and seize them. Both Midrashim understand that Nimrod and Esav share a very strong interest in this special clothing for some reason, and would stop at nothing to acquire it.
We can easily see why some account of the significance of Esav’s clothing would be warranted here. After all, the Torah rarely discusses the appearance or clothing of the characters in its stories. Here, not only does it mention Esav’s garments, they are even described as “the” coveted garments of Esav – implying that they should already be well known to the reader – and as having been stored in his mother’s home rather than his own. The inclusion of these two unusual details piques our curiosity and deserves an explanation.
However, the mystery of Esav’s clothing does not end here. While we know that Yaakov had to place goat hair on his arms to hide his identity from his ailing father, no reason is ever given in the narrative for why Rivqa also dressed him in the special garments of his brother. In fact, Yitzchaq himself, believing that he is addressing his firstborn Esav, specifically smells and comments upon the fragrance of his son’s clothing, which reminds him of the scent of “a field that God has blessed.” As usual, the Rabbis, reading the text with exceptional care, noted the numerous references to these garments in the narrative, and attempted to provide some reason for them. But how and why did the Sages derive such an elaborate and dramatic backstory, full of jealousy, murder and intrigue, for the clothing of Esav?
In order to better comprehend the message that the Sages wish to convey in these enigmatic Midrashim, let us follow up on one of the clues they have left us – the connection to Nimrod, who is depicted either as the original owner of the garments or as scheming to take possession of them. As mentioned in a previous installment of this series, when the Rabbis link two or more seemingly unrelated personalities in their expositions, there is invariably a profound commonality between them that awaits discovery. On the surface, Nimrod, a mighty King of Mesopotamia who seems to have lived during the period of the Tower of Babel, has nothing whatsoever to do with Esav who lived hundreds of years later. However, a closer examination of the text reveals a startling parallel between them. Regarding Esav, we are told:
“And Esav was a man who knew hunting [yodea tzayid], a man of the field.”
With respect to Nimrod, we read:
“He was a mighty hunter [gibor tzayid] before the Eternal; therefore, it is said, ‘like Nimrod, mighty hunter before the Eternal.”
Nimrod the hunter is characterized as the first monarch to arise in ancient history, as the Torah states, “the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon, etc.” Along the same lines, we find that Esav the hunter emerges as the leader of a substantial group of followers who do his bidding, and that his descendants quickly establish a dynasty that lasts many generations, as the Torah states, “these are the kings who ruled in the Land of Edom, before any king ruled among the Children of Israel.” It is fascinating and noteworthy that two acclaimed hunters would enter the world of politics and achieve exceptional prominence in that arena as well.
Unquestionably, by introducing Nimrod (most likely dead for centuries prior to the birth of Esav) into this narrative, the Sages intended to draw our attention to the strikingly similar Biblical language (yodea tzayid, gibbor tzayid) as well as the parallel “career paths” of Esav and Nimrod. Still, though, we must explain what deeper insight we can glean from this observation, and what its relevance might be to the story of Yaaqov’s “theft” of the blessings intended for his older brother.
I would like to suggest that the Rabbis are identifying not just a textual connection between Nimrod and Esav but a certain kind of personality that they exemplified. Skill in hunting is not unrelated to political skill. Both involve domination of one’s environment, the capacity to think outside of and actively subjugate the external world (whether human/social or animal) to one’s will. This demands considerable strength, self confidence, knowledge, and well-thought-out strategy.
The hunter determines whether to pursue and conquer his prize or to manipulate it into a trap he has devised. A political ruler likewise employs an array of techniques in maintaining order and obedience among his subjects, ranging from the art of rhetoric and persuasion to the use of force. Two individuals of this type vying for power and influence in the same domain will inevitably find themselves in conflict with one another – “this town ain’t big enough for the two of us” – each attempting to neutralize an opponent and competitor who stands in the way of his attaining complete control of the disputed realm. This is artfully expressed in the struggle of Nimrod and Esav to hold onto the “coveted garments.”
There is another character that the Sages connect to Nimrod and Esav; namely, Adam the First. Although never described as a hunter or a king, Adam is charged by God with the mandate to “fill the land and conquer it – rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and all the animals that crawl on the earth.” The difference, of course, is that Adam is commanded by the Almighty to impose order and design in nature, to dominate and direct it for the sake of Heaven, with an eye to actualizing its innate potential, and not for his own aggrandizement.
Describing Esav as possessing garments that once belonged to Adam, and which had the magical effect of bringing the animals under his sway, suggests that Esav inherited the unique ability that had been granted to Adam for the cultivation of Creation. However, moved by less noble interests and animated by baser desires, he utilized this gift as a means to pursue pleasure and honor and to build himself an empire instead. Esav wearing the clothes of Adam represents his attempt to misappropriate the active, creative, and nurturing role in the world that the Almighty assigned to the first man, and to convert it into a cynical tool of self-indulgence. Indeed, we are told that Esav specifically donned this outfit when serving Yitzchaq – implying that even the honor he accorded to his father, which helped him secure the Patriarch’s support and blessing, was just another politically calculated act designed to further his personal agenda.
We can now appreciate why Rivqa dressed Yaaqov in Esav’s garments before sending him to be blessed by his father. This ensemble was not, as might be assumed, part of his disguise; rather, it represented his embrace of the role of Adam the First as an active participant in the unfolding realization of the Divine Plan. In order to assume his rightful position as the next Patriarch, Yaaqov had to put on the garments of his brother, he had to adopt and internalize some of the characteristics of the notorious Esav. This meant transforming himself from a passive or reactive victim of circumstance into the author of his own destiny who would shape, rather than be shaped by, the world around him.
(Incidentally, this also explains why Yitzchak so enjoyed and praised the scent of the clothing. He understood that the ability of his heir – whom he believed to be Esav – to “wear the garment”, to go out into the world, dominate and lead, was granted to him by the Almighty so he could become the founder of the great nation that was promised to Avraham.)
Unlike Esav, however, Yaaqov looked to Hashem’s will, rather than his own desires and fantasies, when choosing how to exercise control over his environment. Since he took initiative sincerely for the sake of Heaven, Yaaqov’s donning the regal clothes of Adam the First restored them to their original purpose as a kind of “priestly vestments”, symbolic of the idea that human power and glory is only truly valuable when it is subordinated and instrumental to God’s plan.
Power, influence, and persuasive rhetoric are all necessary ingredients of empire building and governance. They are also extremely dangerous when in the hands of one who is not guided in his conduct by God’s wisdom. Rivqa clearly perceived what her husband Yitzchaq could not or would not see. She realized that, despite his formidable talents, Esav lacked the depth of religious knowledge and commitment that would inspire him to utilize his gifts as the Almighty intended. Rivqa placed the “coveted garments” upon her son because she understood that the future nation of Israel could only be established by someone who wore the clothes of Esav but who was, at the same time, fully devoted to the values of Yaaqov.
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