Why God Loved Jacob and Gave Him Two Worlds Over Esau

(Exodus 26:7:) "AND YOU SHALL MAKE CURTAINS OF GOATS' HAIR," etc. This is what Scripture says (Malachi 1:2): "I HAVE LOVED YOU, SAYS THE LORD." Who spoke this verse? Malachi [spoke it]. When? At the time when he was rebuking Israel. Malachi said to them (Malachi 3:8): "WILL A MAN ROB GOD?" They answered him (ibid.): "IN WHAT HAVE WE ROBBED YOU?" Our Rabbis said: The generation of Malachi—he was rebuking them, and they were answering him back. He said to them, "WILL A MAN ROB GOD?" Rabbi Levi said: It is an Arabic expression. When an Arab comes to converse with his fellow, he says to him, "Are you robbing us? Are you defrauding us?"—"WILL A MAN ROB GOD?" And he said, "AND YOU SAY, 'IN WHAT HAVE WE ROBBED YOU?'—THE TITHE AND THE HEAVE-OFFERING" (ibid.), for they were not bringing it out as is fitting. He turned again and said to them (Malachi 1:2): "WAS NOT ESAU JACOB'S BROTHER?" yet you say, "IN WHAT HAVE YOU LOVED US?" (ibid.). In the way of the world, when a man has children, one a firstborn and one a younger, who takes the larger portion? The firstborn. Esau came out first, as it is said (Genesis 25:25): "AND THE FIRST CAME OUT RUDDY." He was fit to take two portions, yet I did not do so; rather, Jacob took two portions—this world and the world to come. So too Esau said to Jacob (Genesis 33:12): "LET US JOURNEY AND GO," etc.—let the two of us walk together in the world. Jacob said to him: Take your world and pass on, as it is said (Genesis 33:14): "LET MY LORD, I PRAY, PASS OVER BEFORE HIS SERVANT," etc., "UNTIL I COME TO MY LORD AT SEIR." Rabbi Jacob said: I went over all of Scripture [to see] whether Jacob went to Seir or whether he did not go, and I did not find [it]. And when does he go? In the time to come, as it is said (Obadiah 1:21): "AND SAVIORS SHALL GO UP ON MOUNT ZION," etc. Therefore, "AND I LOVED JACOB"—Jacob is a partner with Esau in this world, [but Esau is not] a partner with Jacob in the world to come. Solomon said (Proverbs 5:17): "LET THEM BE FOR YOU ALONE, AND NOT FOR STRANGERS WITH YOU."