וַתִּקַּח רִבְקָה אֶת־בִּגְדֵי עֵשָׂו בְּנָהּ הַגָּדֹל הַחֲמֻדֹת אֲשֶׁר אִתָּהּ בַּבָּיִת וַתַּלְבֵּשׁ אֶת־יַעֲקֹב בְּנָהּ הַקָּטָן: (כז טו)
And Rivkah took the clean garments of Eisav, her elder son, which were with her [for safe-keeping] at home, and put them upon Yaakov her younger son.
This Is Vanity
Chazal teach us (בְּרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה לז ז) that in ancient times, the names given to people were reflective of their intrinsic essence and the destinies that awaited them. This practice changed when people lost the ability to perceive the future with ruach hakodesh, which led to the custom of naming after ancestors.
The Torah explains the background of the name Yaakov, yet it omits the rationale behind Eisav's name. Rashi links Eisav's name to the Hebrew root ע.ש.ה, which means "to make" or "to do." Eisav was aptly named because he entered the world fully developed, having a head of hair that resembled that of an adult. His distinctive appearance at birth marked him as "ready-made".
An additional interpretation of Eisav's name is presented in Yalkut Shim'oni (תּוֹלְדוֹת רֶמֶז קי"ז), where it says that the name Eisav is an acronym for the Hebrew phrase הֵא שָׁוְא, "this is vanity." This is because when Eisav was born, Hashem said: "הֵא שָׁוְא שֶׁבָּרָאתִי בְּעוֹלָמִי" - "This is a vanity I created in My world".
These two interpretations complement one another, together giving us a clearer understanding of Eisav's nature.
Cattle Branding
The Gemara (בָּבָא קַמָּא סה ע"ב) states that in lashon hakodesh the term שׁוֹר, an ox, includes even a one-day-old calf. Similarly, a newborn lamb is already referred to as an אַיִל, a ram. Other terms exist to delineate between young and mature animals, but the mature term "שׁוֹר" applies universally because, at their core, both young calves and mature oxen are the same. They all live for the same purposes: eating, sleeping, and endlessly repeating these basic functions. Unlike humans, they have no capacity or will to work on themselves, to improve or to have any bigger impact. Nothing changes when they grow older.
Precisely this was Eisav's character. He embodied a mindset focused solely on the here and now, seeking immediate gratification and the pleasures of life. Unlike his brother Yaakov, who consistently focused on future goals and pursued a higher purpose, striving to attain perfection and ultimately reaching the World to Come, Eisav represented a starkly different philosophy. He was entirely עָשׂוּי, a finished man. Eisav remained stagnant in his personal growth, living as though he were already fully formed and requiring no further development.
Eisav's approach to life was one of contentment with the status quo; he did not envision a life of ideals or moral aspirations. Maturing did not have any implications for him other than developing new desires and refining his methods for achieving them. He lived without a coherent plan or vision for growth, resembling a creature content to remain within the confines of its instinctual behaviours. This existence ultimately encapsulates the concept of vanity—an emptiness devoid of purpose.
(עי' כלי יקר כה כה-כו)