Maggie's Farm

This passage is the springboard for lots of Jewish homiletics and allegorical commentary about the role of the Jewish people in the world.

Focusing on the text:

21) Isaac "entreated" or "interceded" with the Lord "before his wife". This is a stronger, more emotional word than the normal word for "prayed".

The tradition uses the phrase "before his wife" to conjure up an image of both of them praying, Isaac in his corner, Rebekah in hers:

Rebekah - who fought to remain honest in the house of her evil father Laban - prayed that both children be mediocre, but righteous.

Isaac - who had seen his father redeem many evildoers - prayed that the prophesy come true as stated in the following verses, confident that his righteous son would prevail and win over the wicked.

So the verse tells us that "G-d heard Isaac's prayer" - and not Rebekah's....

22) In the more direct Hebrew, Rebekah says "If so, why is it thus with me?"

According to tradition she consulted prophets from the proto-monotheistic academy of Shem, the son of Noah. Others say it was Melchizedek, the proto-monotheistic king of "Salem" (=Jerusalem).

23) "Two nations are in your belly, and two peoples shall diverge from your womb, and one nation shall gain strength from the other, and (ultimately) the greater shall worship the younger."

"One shall gain strength from the other" - only one can be ascendant in the world at any time. When the culture of Esau is triumphant, Jacob is reduced. When Israel is redeemed, Esau falls.

24) And the days of her pregnancy were complete, and there were twins in her belly.

25) All of him like a hairy mantle

They called him "Esau" - which means "ready-made". He was already hairy like a grown up. Allegorically, he represents the pagan world which recognizes nothing but the physical/material.

26) Jacob can mean "following on the heels of" or "usurper". Later on Esau uses this play on words, when Jacob steals the blessings.

Akev= heel
Ya'akov= Jacob.

27) No "when" - it just starts "and the boys grew up."

"skillful hunter" literally means "a man who knew trapping" - see below. This play on words is used allegorically to describe Esau's deceitful nature.

Jacob is "A simple/trusting man". The word implies "wholeness". The tents he dwells in is, again, the academy of Shem - or perhaps the core followers of his grandfather Abraham.

28) Isaac loved Esau because "game was in his mouth" - but this can also be interpreted literally as "because he trapped him with his mouth". Esau pretended to be interested in the cult of Abraham, while pursuing Canaanite ways and women.

29) According to tradition, this was during the mourning period for Abraham - which is why Jacob was cooking the traditional mourning food of lentils. It's also why the subject of Abraham's birthright comes up.

Edom - earthy red like terra cotta.
Compare "Adam" - which literally means "earth".
And in verse 25 above "red" is "ad'moni"

Later in Jewish history "Edom" is used as an allegorical code for the Roman empire.

30) "Let me eat" is a word used for force-feeding camels. A more vulgar form of "chug-a-lug".

31) Literally "Sell me today your birthright." Similarly, it's "Swear to me today" in verse 33.

32) This is cited homiletically as Esau's pagan philosophy - eat, drink and be merry! A rejection of Divine judgement or human conscience.

34) "Esau despised his birthright" is traditionally understood as continued action after the story. There is no "thus" in the original. From here on, Esau was perhaps more explicit in rejecting the Abrahamic dynasty and teaching.

There is a lot of material on this and other stories of Jacob and Esau in the Jewish tradition.