It says in this week's Parasha... “And the children struggled together within her.” (25:22)
QUESTION: Rashi says that when Rivkah passed the yeshivah of Shem and Eiver, Yaakov wanted to jump out of her womb, and when she passed a place of idol worship, Eisav wanted to jump out. When a child is in his mother’s womb an angel teaches him the entire Torah (Niddah 30b). Why did Yaakov want to leave the angel and go to the yeshivah of Shem and Eiver?
ANSWER: In the “yeshivah” in his mother’s womb, his “chaver,” his study partner and companion, was Eisav. Yaakov was greatly concerned about having good friends. Therefore, he was willing to give up the opportunity of an angel teaching him Torah in order to go to a yeshivah where he would have good “chavairim” (other little Yaakovs) and not be in the company of Eisav. – R’ Simcha Bunim of P’shischa
P.S. We find a similar situation later when Eisav comes to meet Yaakov with 400 generals (to wage war against Yaakov.) When they made peace, Eisav “offered” to have some of his men accompany Yaakov on the rest of his journey. Yaakov politely declined, because, once again, he did not want to be in the company of evildoers.
