[Avodah] maaseh avot siman lebanim

[Joseph Kaplan via Avodah]

"> explanation #2 - There was no need for the disagreement between Esav

> and the sons of Jacob to involve murder.



What murder?  Esav was holding up Yaacov's funeral.  He had no right to do that, and Yaacov's family had no need to put up with it.  Esav of course knew very well that he'd sold the plot, and was therefore in the wrong.  He just supposed, correctly, that they would not have thought to bring the contract with them."



I had no idea that holding up a funeral was a capital crime.

More importantly, though, I think that RET's comment that there is no way to decide between the alternatives can be looked ta somewhat differently.  I don't see this as alternatives in the sense that one explanation of the story is correct and one not.  Rather, since we're speaking about a aggadah,, not text, whose purpose is to teach lessons and not to tell us what actually happened, the lesson the rabbis are teaching us with this intentionally ambivalent story is that rash action may sometimes be necessary and sometimes precipitous and it's difficult to know at the time which is the case. People taking, or considering taking, such actions, therefore, must always be cognizant of these two possibilities and thus use, as best as they can, considered judgment.  Being men and not God, of course, means we won't know which alternative applied to a particular case until, in most cases, it's too late.
Joseph

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