[Avodah] Was Esav a Rasha in the womb?

[Dov Kaiser]

R. Marty Bluke wrote: <<This Maharal seems to contradict a fundamental principle of Judaism that every person has free will and can choose to be a Tzadik or a Rasha. If Esav's innate nature in the womb was to worship Avoda Zara how can he blamed for his actions, likewise if Yaakov's innate nature was for kedusha why should he be rewarded for that? See the Rambam in Hilchos Teshuva the beginning of Perek 5 where the Rambam states clearly and unequivocally that there is no predisposition, every person has choice what to be.>>
 
The Rambam doesn’t say that there is no predisposition.  He states that there is free choice and anyone has the ability to become as righteous as Moshe Rabbeinu or as wicked as Yeravam.  However, it is obvious that we are not all born with exactly the same inclinations and temptations, whether due to our innate characters or the environment in which we are raised.  I therefore feel forced to assume that the Rambam means that these inclinations and temptations are never so great as to overwhelm a person and remove his free choice.  We always have free choice, but some of us will encounter more difficulties in exercising it properly than others.
 
This means that Esav could have been a tzaddik, but he would have needed to work much harder at it than Yaakov.  I can’t see anything in the Rambam which contradicts that.

 
Kol tuv
Dov Kaiser 		 	   		  
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