At the end of this week's Parshah, the Torah tells us that "Aisov took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all of the people of his household. [He also took] his cattle, all of his animals, and all the property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went to another land because of his brother Yaakov. [This was] because they had too many possessions for them to dwell together, and the land of their sojourning, (Eretz Yisroel), could not support them because of their livestock."
Rashi's first explanation tells us the simple meaning of the Torah's words. Why did Aisov leave Canaan? "Because the land did not provide [enough] pasture for their animals," meaning there was not enough room for the cattle of both Yaakov and Aisov. Therefore, Aisov decided to leave.
Rashi then offers a second explanation, quoting a Midrash Aggadah. The Torah says that Aisov left Israel and went to another land because of his brother Yaakov. What does this mean? It was decreed that Yitzchok's descendants would be strangers in a strange land. Aisov wanted no part of that. He could not have the land in any case, because it was promised to his brother. Therefore, he did not want to pay the debt for the land, i.e., to be exiled. He also did not wish to remain because he was embarrassed by having sold his birthright.
Difficulties in Understanding Rashi
Rashi comments that "I have come only to teach the simple meaning of the Scripture and such Aggadah that clarifies the words of the verses, each word in its proper way." This means that he only explains Peshat. He will occasionally cite a Midrash, which helps us understand Peshat. Why would he include a second explanation from a Midrash? His first explanation, that there was not enough pasture for both of their livestock, seems to explain our verse perfectly. The Midrash does not seem to add anything. Moreover, the Midrash seems to contradict the Torah's words. The verse says, "They had too many possessions for them to dwell together." The Midrash gives an entirely different reason!
Furthermore, the text (and the content) of the Midrash is quite different than the words which Rashi quotes. The Midrash says, "Rabbi Elozor says, [that Aisov left the land] because of the note of obligation. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says [that he left] because of the shame." In other words, according to Rabbi Elozor, he left for one reason, whereas according to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, he left for a different reason.
However, Rashi tells us that Aisov left Israel for both reasons: the note of obligation and shame. In other words, according to Rashi, Aisov left for both reasons, and according to the Midrash, these are two different opinions regarding Aisov's departure.
The Explanation
We can explain the above questions as follows. The meaning of Torah's words clearly and obviously follows Rashi's first explanation. The Torah says simply that "Aisov took his wives... and he went to another land because of his brother Yaakov." Why did he do this? The verse continues to explain that it was "because they had too many possessions... and the land of their sojourning, (Eretz Yisroel), could not support them because of their livestock." In other words, as Rashi says in his first explanation, "provide [enough] pasture for their animals."
This all seems to be clear. However, upon closer examination, it is not all that clear. Granted, there was not enough pasture for both of them. However, why didn't Yaakov leave instead of Aisov? Aisov and his entourage had lived in Canaan throughout the entire time. Conversely, Yaakov had just returned to Israel. He had been absent for twenty years. It would seem that he should have left.
Possibly, we can answer this question by saying that Yaakov possessed a tremendous amount of livestock and needed more pasture than his brother did. Additionally, we find that Aisov "was a man who understood hunting, a man of the field," meaning all aspects of the field. He was not limited to using his field as pasture. Hence, he needed less space for pasture. Therefore, he left Canaan to allow his brother to have the land he needed.
This is not a tenable answer. Nothing we know of Aisov suggests he would cooperate to help his brother.
Because of this question, Rashi tells us that Aisov must have had additional reasons for leaving. Rashi teaches us that "Because of the note of obligation of the decree, 'that your seed will be strangers.' This decree applied to the descendants of Yitzchok." When the Torah says that Aisov left the land because of his brother Yaakov, it does not mean that he did so out of the goodness of his heart. Rather, he knew that his father Yitzchok's descendants would have to pay a price (a note of obligation) to possess the land. Both he and Yaakov were children of Yitzchok. Until then, Aisov remained in the land; he had no reason to uproot himself and his family. However, the time came when he had to separate from his brother. They needed to separate because there was insufficient space for their animals to graze. Aisov chose to leave because he did not wish to pay the bill.
However, this explanation is still not completely smooth. Aisov would obviously feel humiliated by having to move because of his brother. People would talk about him. All of the other inhabitants of the land would look at him and say that Aisov was lost! Yaakov, the "newcomer," forced Aisov to leave! Based on what we know about Aisov, he would not tolerate that. He would still not agree to leave the land in favor of his brother.
To answer this difficulty, Rashi brings the second explanation from the Midrash. In general, Aisov felt embarrassed in Israel. This was especially true when Yaakov was present. He was ashamed that he sold his birthright to his brother.
We see that only by combining the simple meaning with both opinions in the Midrash can Rashi answer all questions according to Peshat. From this, we can understand the precision of every word of Rashi.
(Adapted from a talk given on Shabbos Parshas Vayishlach 5729)
