This week’s Sidra (Torah reading) contains many case studies for the mitzva of kibud av’ve’eim, (honouring parents). The Rabbinic commentaries, whilst identifying Esav as evil through the textual references to him, nonetheless recognise his dedication to kibud av (honouring a father) in particular.

See which examples you recognize as you read the Sidra. Here, we will focus on the two verses cited above.

Rashi, the premier Torah commentator, explains the first verse to mean that Esav waited before trying to kill Yaacov to avoid paining Yitzchak (Isaac). This fits in with the very next verse which shows that Rivka (Rebecca, mother of Yaacov and Esav) clearly understood Esav’s intentions – an understanding which Rashi explains came from Divine inspiration. Contrastingly, the commentary of Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra suggests that Esav allowed his intentions to slip out.

Rashi explains that the second verse must as always be read in its context so that Yaacov listened to his parents since he wanted to get married. There were acceptable possibilities in Padan Aram whilst Yitzchak had specifically commanded Yaacov not to take a wife from the local tribes (see 28:1).

Esav, curiously, having understood that Yitzchak did consider the local women to be suitable wives, instead went to Yishmael (Ishmael) to find a wife (28:8-9). Although we may wish to continue our suggestion from last week that Yishmael might have returned to the fold, Rashi, in an uncharacteristically long comment, views Esav’s actions in an extremely negative light.

How can we analyse the differences between the brothers in this regard? Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, a leading 20^th century authority, suggests that the second verse shows that Yaacov listened to his parents, whilst Esav’s actions show that he merely considered his parents’ demands to be good advice.

By extension, we can suggest that Esav was prepared to honour his parents on his terms, rather than on theirs. Although Esav at times displays a great commitment to Kibud Av’ve’eim, the second verse demonstrates how Yaacov was also dedicated to this Mitzva (commandment).