“And Esav disdained the birthright.”
וַיִּבֶז עֵשָׂו אֶת־הַבְּכֹרָה׃
(Bereishit 25:34)
The word "וַיִּבֶז" (vayivez)—“he disdained”—is rare in Tanach. It appears only one other time, in Megillat Esther:
“But he disdained to lay hands on Mordechai alone…”
וַיִּבֶז בְּעֵינָיו לִשְׁלֹחַ יָד בְּמָרְדֳּכַי לְבַדּוֹ…
(Esther 3:6)
In Esther, Haman’s disdain for Mordechai leads to genocidal hatred. The parallel raises a powerful question:
Why did Esav detest the birthright as much as Haman detested Mordechai?
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Esav’s Contradiction: Disdaining the Birthright, Desiring the Blessing
In Bereishit 27, Esav still desperately wants his father’s blessing, showing he distinguished between the birthright (בְּכוֹרָה) and the blessing (בְּרָכָה).
“Bless me too, Father!”
בָּרְכֵנִי גַם־אָנִי אָבִי׃
(Bereishit 27:34)
So what made him despise the birthright, yet crave the blessing?
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Ibn Ezra’s Theory: The Birthright Had No Material Value
Ibn Ezra (on Bereishit 25:34) offers a bold theory:
Esav believed the birthright was worthless because Yitzchak was poor and had no wealth to inherit.
He supports this with several textual clues:
1. Esav returns famished from the field, with no food available at home:
“I am at the point of death, so what use is the birthright to me?”
הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ לָמוּת וְלָמָּה־זֶה לִי בְּכוֹרָה׃
(Bereishit 25:32)
2. Yitzchak asks Esav to prepare a special meal before blessing him:
“Make me a tasty dish, such as I love…”
עֲשֵׂה־לִי מַטְעַמִּים כַּאֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתִּי…
(Bereishit 27:4)
Ibn Ezra argues that if Yitzchak were wealthy, such meals would be readily available.
3. Rivka takes Esav’s clothes for Yaakov, implying Yaakov had none of his own:
“Rivka took her older son Esav’s best clothes…”
וַתִּקַּח רִבְקָה אֶת־בִּגְדֵי עֵשָׂו בְּנָהּ הַגָּדוֹל הַחֲמוּדֹת…
(Bereishit 27:15)
4. Rivka sends Yaakov away with only bread and water—no money or provisions:
“Take this and go…”
(Bereishit 27:43–44)
Ibn Ezra anticipates criticism of his view and responds sharply:
“Let them tell us why Hashem withheld sight from Yitzchak’s eyes. Let them not put us off with a poor answer based upon a Midrashic homily.”
This challenges the idealized view of the Avot as flawless and materially successful. Ibn Ezra insists that the Torah presents them as human, with struggles and limitations.
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