IN THE PARSHA:
The תורה tells us that while רבקה was pregnant with יעקב and עשו, the children struggled within her (וַיִּתְרֹצְצוּ הַבָּנִים בְּקִרְבָּהּ). One explanation that רש"י brings is that they were fighting over the inheritance of two worlds, עולם הזה and עולם הבא, each wanting both.
QUESTION:
Why were they each fighting to inherit both worlds? Didn’t עשו want only this world, while יעקב wanted only the World to Come?
ANSWER:
Before יעקב and עשו were born, they both wanted to serve Hashem. However, there are two ways of serving Hashem. One manner of serving Hashem is by being involved only with holy things. This was the kind of עבודה that יעקב strived for. He mainly wanted עולם הבא.
Another manner in serving Hashem is by conquering the יצר הרע even while being exposed to other things. This is what עשו strived for. He wanted to be involved with עולם הזה.
But even the צדיק who is immersed in קדושה must also be involved with matters of עולם הזה, to elevate them to קדושה. This is why יעקב also wanted עולם הזה.
And even the one who is usually involved with עולם הזה must devote himself to rising higher within קדושה himself (and, at least at certain times, immerse himself completely in matters of קדושה). This is why עשו also wanted עולם הבא.
LIFE LESSON:
Every Yid has to involve himself in both manners of עבודת השם.
Further discussion:
Why was אברהם able to influence עשו, while יצחק was not? (See footnote 38 in the Sicha)
