Take the birth of Jacob and Esau, for example. Seems straightforward. But Bereshit Rabbah, the ancient rabbinic commentary on Genesis, dives deep, revealing layers of interpretation we might never have considered.
"Her days to give birth were complete" (Genesis 25:24). This verse, seemingly simple, sparks a fascinating comparison. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) points out an interesting contrast: with Tamar's twins (Genesis 38:27), the days of pregnancy were incomplete. But here, with Rebecca, they are complete. Why the difference? The text implies it has to do with the righteousness of the offspring.
And then there's the spelling. Remember when Tamar gave birth to twins? The Torah says "teomim" (twins). But Bereshit Rabbah notices something: in that instance, the word is spelled without a vav, making it "tomim". The missing letter, they suggest, indicates something is amiss. In our story, Jacob is righteous, but Esau? Not so much.
“The first emerged ruddy” (Genesis 25:25). Okay, Esau's red hair is a detail, but according to Rabbi Ḥagai, speaking in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak, even that holds profound symbolism! It's all tied to the mitzvah, the commandment, of taking the four species on the first day of Sukkot (Leviticus 23:40). How? God says, "Because of that merit, I reveal myself to you first." Esau's emergence is linked to God's promise: “I am first and I am last” (Isaiah 44:6). It's about exacting retribution on Esau, building the Temple ("Throne of glory, exalted from the first," (Jeremiah 17:1)2), and bringing the messianic king ("The first to Zion, behold, here it is," (Isaiah 41:2)7). Whoa.
But wait, there’s more! Another interpretation suggests Esau emerged first to carry away the corruption. Rabbi Abahu compares him to a bathhouse attendant who cleans the bath before the king's son arrives. A noblewoman even asks Rabbi Yosei ben Ḥalafta why Esau came out first. His intriguing reply? "The first droplet was Jacob's." He explains with a vivid analogy of pearls in a tube: the one placed first emerges last.
The text doesn't stop there. "Ruddy," according to Rabbi Abba bar Kahana, makes Esau seem like a "shedder of blood." Samuel's fear upon seeing David's ruddy complexion (I (Samuel 16:1)2) echoes this. But God reassures him: David's different. Esau kills on his own, while David acts on the authority of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court.
Then comes a fascinating, almost unbelievable, story about Emperor Diocletian! Once a humble swineherd near Tiberias, he later rose to power. When he’d visit Rabbi's study hall (Rabbi Yehuda Nesia, grandson of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi), children would strike him. After becoming emperor, he threatened the Jewish leaders of Tiberias. But divine intervention, and a helpful demon named Arginiton, saved the day, showcasing God's miraculous protection.
“All of him like a cloak of [kaaderet] hair” (Genesis 25:25). The Rabbis of the South, in the name of Rabbi Alexandri and Raḥava, interpret this as Esau emerging "unkempt and scattered like an aderet – like the chaff and the straw from the threshing floor [idera]." They connect this to (Daniel 2:35), linking Esau's nature to those who "extended their hands against the great [adirim]," meaning Israel.
Finally, the name "Esau" [Esav] is linked to falsehood [heh shav]. A stark contrast to God's declaration: “My son, My firstborn, is Israel” (Exodus 4:22).
So, what does it all mean? Bereshit Rabbah isn't just telling a story; it's weaving a tapestry of interconnected ideas. It uses every detail, every word, every letter to reveal deeper truths about destiny, righteousness, and the eternal relationship between God and Israel. It invites us to see beyond the surface, to find meaning in the seemingly mundane, and to recognize the hand of God in every aspect of creation. Pretty powerful stuff.
“Her days to give birth were complete” (Genesis 25:24) – elsewhere18When Tamar gave birth (Genesis 38:27). they19The days of pregnancy. are incomplete, and here they are complete. Elsewhere it is written: “Twins [teomim]” (Genesis 38:27) – Peretz and Zeraḥ were both righteous, but here, “tomim” – Jacob was righteous, Esau, wicked.20The regular spelling is teomim. The midrash explains that a letter missingfrom the word indicates that something is amiss. “The first emerged ruddy” (Genesis 25:25) – Rabbi Ḥagai said in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: Due to the merit of: “You shall take for you on the first day” (Leviticus 23:40),21The mitzva of the four species. I reveal myself to you first, as it is stated: “I am first and I am last” (Isaiah 44:6); I will exact retribution on your behalf from the first – that is Esau, as it is written: “The first emerged”; I will build for you the first – this is the Temple, in whose regard it is written: “Throne of glory, exalted from the first, [is the place of our Temple]” (Jeremiah 17:12); and I will bring you the first, this is the messianic king, in whose regard it is written: “The first to Zion, behold, here it is” (Isaiah 41:27). Another matter, “the first emerged ruddy” – why did Esau emerge first? It was so he would emerge and his corruption would depart with him. Rabbi Abahu said: It is like that bathhouse attendant who washes the bathhouse and then bathes the king’s son. So, why did Esau emerge first? It was so he would emerge and his corruption would depart with him.22The womb would remain clean for Jacob. A noblewoman asked Rabbi Yosei ben Ḥalafta, she said to him: ‘Why did Esau emerge first?’ He said to her: ‘The first droplet23Of semen. was Jacob’s.’ He said to her: ‘This is analogous to an instance where you place two pearls into one tube, is it not the one that you placed first that will emerge last? So, the first droplet was Jacob’s.’ “Ruddy,” Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: As though he were a shedder of blood. When Samuel saw that David was ruddy, as it is written: “He sent and brought him and he was ruddy” (I Samuel 16:12), he was afraid and said: ‘This is a shedder of blood like Esau.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “With beautiful eyes” (I Samuel 16:12). Esau killed at his own initiative, but this one kills at the initiative of Sanhedrin. The emperor Diocletian was a swineherd near Tiberias. When he would come to the study hall of Rabbi,24Rabbi Yehuda Nesia, grandson of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. the children would go out and strike him. Sometime later, he became emperor, and he descended and resided near the Panyas; variant reading: Pamyas, and he sent directives to Tiberias just before nightfall on Thursday: ‘I decree that the prominent leaders of the Jews shall appear before me before morning on Sunday.’ He commanded the emissary and said to him: ‘Do not deliver them [the directives] to them until sunset on Friday.’ Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman went down to bathe. He saw Rabbi standing before the great study hall, and he saw that his face was sickly. He said to him: ‘Why is your face sickly?’ ‘Such and such directives were sent to me by the empire.’ He said to him: ‘Come and bathe, as your Creator performs miracles on our behalf.’ They entered to bathe, and the demon Arginiton came, and was laughing and dancing before them. Rabbi wanted to scold him. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said to him: ‘Leave him alone, as sometimes he appears for the purpose of miracles.’ He said to him: ‘Your master is in distress and you are standing, laughing, and dancing.’ He [the demon] said to them: ‘Go eat and drink and observe a fine Shabbat, as your Master will perform miracles on your behalf, and I will have you stand before him on Sunday morning.’ At the conclusion of Shabbat, after the service, he took them and stood them outside the gates of Panyas. They [servants] entered and said to him [Diocletian]: ‘They are standing before the gates.’ He said: ‘Close the gates.’ He [the demon] took them [the Rabbis] and placed them on the city wall. They [servants] entered and told him [Diocletian]. He said: ‘I decree that they should heat the bathhouse for three days, and then they will enter, bathe, and come before me.’ They went and heated the bathhouse for three days, and one of the Arginiton demons entered and diluted it25With cold water. for them. They entered, bathed, and came before him. He said to them: ‘Because you know that your God performs miracles on your behalf, you belittle the emperor.’ They said to him: ‘We belittle Diocletian the swineherd, but we are subjugated to Diocletian the emperor.’ He said to them: ‘Even so, do not demean a young Roman, and not a low ranking soldier.’ “All of him like a cloak of [kaaderet] hair” (Genesis 25:25) – all of him is worthy of the cloak. The Rabbis of the South in the name of Rabbi Alexandri, and Raḥava in the name of Rabbi Kahana said: He came out all unkempt and scattered like an aderet – like the chaff and the straw from the threshing floor [idera]. That is what is written: “Then the iron…were pulverized, and became like the chaff from the threshing floors [idrei] of summer” (Daniel 2:35). Rabbi Hanina bar Yithak said: What caused them to be pulverized? “From the threshing floors [me’idera] of the summer” (Daniel 2:35) – it is because they extended their hands against the great [adirim].26Israel. “They called his name Esau [Esav]” (Genesis 25:25) – this is the falsehood [heh shav] that I created in My world. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: You called your swine a name, I, too, call My firstborn son a name: “So said the Lord: My son, My firstborn, is Israel” (Exodus 4:22).
