Because he was נעשה, made and complete with hair, like someone older." עשו means made. תבואה פרי אך explains that this represents the goyim who are created entirely made. About the naming of Yaakov, it states (25:26) יעקב שמו ויקרא, and Rashi writes, "His father called him יעקב because he was holding onto the עקב [Eisav's heel]." תבואה פרי אך explains that Yaakov holding onto the heel of עשו implies that Yaakov was seeking to be עשוי, fully made, but he wasn't there yet. This is because the Jewish nation reaches their perfection and completion when they pass the tests they encounter in life.
Rivkah had a lot of pain in her pregnancy, and she didn't understand why. As it states (25:22) ותלך אנכי זה למה כן אם ותאמר בקרבה הבנים ויתרצצו 'ה את לדרש , "The children agitated within her, and [Rivkah] said, 'If so, why am I thus?' and she went to inquire of Hashem." Rashi (25:22) writes, "When she passed the doorway of Torah [of the yeshiva] of Shem and Eiver, Yaakov ran and tried to leave [the womb], and when she passed a doorway of avodah zarah, Eisav tried to leave [the womb]."
Rebbe Yehoshua of Belz zt'l explains that Rivkah's question was why it should be destined for her to have a child a rasha, especially after she was blessed with these children because of her tefillos.
The answer she received was מלאום ולאום יאמץ , "One nationality becomes strong from the other nationality." This means that the Jewish nation will become better and stronger due to the opposition. Yaakov will become better because he will have to deal with the challenges his brother will place before him.
Furthermore, Rivkah heard from the yeshiva of Shem and Eiver, צעיר יעבוד ורב, "The elder shall serve the younger." We will explain this in three ways:
- The yetzer hara works especially hard when a person falls from his level because the yetzer hara hopes to cause the person to stay down and despair from ever serving Hashem. This is hinted at in the words ורב יעבוד , the yetzer hara works a lot and hard, צעיר, when a person is at a low level.
- יעבוד ורב, a person must work very hard, צעיר, when he is at a low level.
- ורב, he will reach very high levels, יעבוד צעיר , when he serves Hashem and passes the tests when he is at low levels.
It states (25:27-28) ציד ידע איש עשו ויהי הנערים ויגדלו כי עשו את יצחק ויאהב ,אהלים ישב תם איש ויעקב שדה איש יעקב את אהבת ורבקה בפיו ציד , "The lads grew up and Eisav became one who knows hunting, a man of the field; but Yaakov was a wholesome man, abiding in tents. Yitzchak loved Eisav for the game was in his mouth, but Rivkah loved Yaakov."
Rashi says that ציד יודע, "one who knows hunting" means he knew how to trick his father into thinking he was G-d fearing. Rashi writes, "He knew how to hunt and trick his father with his words. He would ask, 'Father, how does one give maasar for salt or straw?' His father thought that he was cautious with mitzvos."
We could understand why Yitzchak loved Eisav. He thought he was cautious with mitzvos. But how does it explain why he seemed to love him more than Yaakov? Yaakov was a perfect tzaddik who sat in the beis medresh studying Torah – אהלים יושב? Why did Yitzchak love Eisav more than Yaakov?
The Chidushei HaRim zt'l explains that Yitzchak saw that Yaakov was an תם איש, someone who didn't seem to understand the ways of this world. Yitzchak thought that Yaakov studying Torah all day was not such an outstanding achievement. What else could he do with his time? But Eisav was a businessman; he understood how to go about this world, and nevertheless, he was cautious with the mitzvos, and that was very precious to Yitzchak.
When Yitzchak heard that Yaakov cleverly got the bechorah and the brachos out of Eisav, he realized that Yaakov also knows how to be clever in this world and, nevertheless, chose to devote himself to avodas Hashem. He, therefore, realized that Yaakov's qualities outweighed Eisav's, and he blessed him יהיה ברוך וגם.
