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<font size=3>From the new translation of RSRH's commentary on the
Chumash. <br><br>
Bereishis 25:27 <b><i>When the lads grew up, Esav was a man who
understood hunting, a man of the field, and Ya’akov was a totally
dedicated man, living in tents.<br><br>
</i></b>Each child should be guided in accordance with the path
intended<br>
especially for him, the path that suits the qualities and tendencies
latent<br>
in the depths of his personality, and thus he should be educated,
both<br>
as a man and as a Jew. The great Jewish task is basically one, but
the<br>
ways of its fulfillment are manifold and diverse, as human character<br>
traits and paths of life are manifold and diverse.<br><br>
When the sons of Ya’akov gathered to hear their father’s blessing,<br>
and he visualized in them the future tribes of Israel, he saw not
only<br>
<i>Kohanim </i>and teachers of the Law. Standing around him were the
tribe<br>
of <i>Levi’im</i> , the tribe of kingship, the tribe of merchants, the
tribe of<br>
farmers, the tribe of warriors. Standing before his eyes was the
whole<br>
nation, with <i>all </i>its <i>manifold </i>characteristics and
<i>diverse </i>ways of development. <br>
And he blessed <i>all </i>of them, <i>Ish asher k'birkaso, beirach osom
</i>(below,<br>
49:28), each according to his own special qualities. For the
covenant<br>
that God established with Avraham is intended for a healthy, whole,<br>
and vital nation. The purpose of the covenant is to build a complete<br>
national life with all its manifold forms, all for the one great task,
<i>leshmor <br>
derech</i> <i>Hashem la'asos tzedakah umishpot</i>. There, strength
and courage, no less than<br>
thought and emotion, are to have their champions in the service of<br>
God, and all the people, in various callings, are to fulfill the one
great<br>
common task.<br><br>
Precisely for this reason, each child must be brought up <i>al pi
darko</i>;<br>
educate him to the one great goal, according to his own unique way,<br>
in keeping with his potential. To attempt to educate a Ya’akov and
an<br>
Esav together in the same classroom, in the same routines and in the<br>
same manner, to raise both of them for a life of study and
contemplation,<br>
will inevitably mean to ruin one of the two. A Ya’akov will draw<br>
from the well of wisdom with ever-increasing interest and desire,<br>
whereas an Esav will hardly be able to wait for the day when he can<br>
throw away the old books and, together with them, a great
life-mission,<br>
of which he was taught in a one-sided manner, totally unappealing to<br>
his nature.<br><br>
Had Yitzchak and Rivkah delved deeply into Esav’s nature; had they<br>
asked themselves at an early stage how even an Esav — with the
strength,<br>
skills, and courage latent within him — could be harnessed for God’s<br>
service, then the future <i>gibor</i> would not have become a <i>gibor
tziyid</i> but a<br>
true <i>gibor lifnei Hashem</i>. Ya’akov and Esav, despite their
different natures, would<br>
have remained twin brothers in spirit and in way of life. Early on,
the<br>
sword of Esav would have entered into a covenant with the spirit of<br>
Ya’akov, and who knows what turn world history would have taken!<br><br>
To see Rav Hirsch's complete commentary of this Pasuk, please go to <br>
<a href="http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/25_27_28_bereishis.pdf" eudora="autourl">
http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/25_27_28_bereishis.pdf<br>
</a><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
Yitzchok Levine </font></body>
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