We see in Genesis 25:22 where the children agitated within Rebekah’s womb. Rashi says, when Rebekah walked by a holy house of study (bais hamedrash), Jacob would run to come out. Then when she walked by a house of idol worship, Esau would fight to leave. She was concerned as to what type of child she was carrying. One moment he attempts to go to a holy place and the next he’s gravitating to the idols. He must be a confused child. Then she was told by the Lord she was carrying twins and she understood better. When Esau was forty years old, he took a wife. (Gen. 25:34,35) He followed in his father’s footsteps here as to the age of getting married. That’s about as far as he ever followed Isaac. The women he married were from depraved and evil backgrounds that equaled his own nature. The Torah says they were a source of spiritual rebellion for Isaac and Rebekah. It has been explained that their moral depravity bothered Isaac more than it did Rebekah.

This is because Isaac descended from holy, virtuous parents. Rebekah however, came from a house that was a center for idoltry, thereby dulling her sense of impurity for idol worship. This is one reason it is so important that a child’s early years are guarded by their parents as to what the child sees and studies in his life. The Torah writes about how much Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing that his father had given him. It had nothing to do with Jacob taking the blessing away from Esau. The mere fact that Jacob had any type of blessing on his life was enough to enrage Esau. There was no reason for Esau to hate Jacob, the bechorah (birthright) was “sold.” No one made him sell his birthright for a bowl of lentils. It shows you how much Esau treasured having the birthright. Really, what you see in Jacob and Esau is darkness versus light. In Genesis 25:27 it says: A man who knew hunting, a man of the field….but Jacob was a wholesome man. Here concerning Esau, the Torah writes “ish”(man), twice, where regarding Jacob, it is used only once. This is because Esau was two faced, putting on one face for Isaac, while letting his true colors show “in the field.” Jacob on the other hand, was straight, an “ish tam”, wholesome and upright.

We also see in chapter 25 where it says, Isaac loved Esau, for game was in his mouth, but Rebekah loved Jacob. One Rabbi comments on this verse by explaining, the Torah gives a reason for Isaac’s love for Esau, not so for Rebekah’s love of Jacob. So to love Esau we must have a good reason. One does not need to give a reason for loving Jacob. So we are basically back to light and darkness here. Usually if you like darkness, there’s a reason why. You at least “think” you’re gaining something, be it materially or emotionally. You love light because it is light, not to gain something. If you’re drawn to darkness, it’s because of the “fleshly agitator” within us! Rebekah had a bad agitator in her that even the Maytag repairman couldn’t fix!