Before giving the Torah to Israel, God first offered it to every other nation on earth. The Mekhilta records one of the most dramatic of these encounters — the moment God approached the descendants of the wicked Esau.
God came and revealed Himself to the sons of Esau and asked them a simple question: "Will you accept the Torah?" They did not refuse outright. Instead, they asked what any reasonable person would ask: "What is written in it?"
God answered: "You shall not kill."
That was enough. The sons of Esau rejected the Torah immediately. Their reasoning was blunt and unapologetic. "This is what we inherited from our father," they said, pointing to the blessing Isaac gave to Esau in (Genesis 27:40): "By your sword shall you live." Violence was not just their practice — it was their birthright, their inheritance, their identity. A Torah that forbade killing was incompatible with everything they were.
This midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) does more than explain why Israel alone received the Torah. It reveals the rabbis' understanding that the Torah was never imposed on anyone. It was offered freely, and each nation had the chance to accept or reject it based on its own values.
The sons of Esau were not punished for refusing. They were simply told what the Torah required, and they made their choice. The commandment "You shall not kill" was not a minor clause buried in fine print. It was the very first thing God told them, because it was the most fundamental incompatibility between their way of life and the Torah's demands.