“And Eisav said ‘I have plenty, my brother, let what you have remain yours’. Thereupon Yaakov said, "Please no! If indeed I have found favor in your eyes, then you shall take my gift from my hand.. Now take my gift, which has been brought to you, for God has favored me, and I have everything." He prevailed upon him, and he took it.‘ (33:9-11) Yaakov pleaded to Esav please accept my gift.
Rashi gives a distinction between the ideologies of Eisav and Yaakov: and states: I have everything: All my necessities. Esav, however, spoke haughtily, “I have plenty,” [meaning] much more than I need. [Tanchuma Vayishlach 3]. Esav spoke in an arrogant way saying that he has plenty, he has more than he needs. Yaakov states that he has everything, meaning that he has his basic needs to live and for that he is tremendously grateful.
There is a interesting point which has to be clarified. If Esav did have more then he needs, why did he indeed accept the gift from Yaakov? The Kli Yakar expands on this concept further: The differences in their language is indicative of the mindset of each one. Eisav is representing the wickedness that can overpower man’s view of the world. He is never satisfied with what he has and always wants more. A man of this kind can amass that greatest of fortunes, beyond what anyone can imagine, yet when he is on his deathbed and you ask him, “Now that you are close to death and have achieved riches, is there anything else that you want before you leave this world?” This person would answer: “I would just want a little bit more.” The issue is that he is never satisfied with what he has because he always sees what he does not have. He strove his whole life for lavishness and pampering alone; the happiness in this world does not satisfy the urge to fulfill with more desires he has not experienced. The mindset of Eisav is this - this world is to maximize pleasure, hence the words “I have plenty” are indicative of the emphasis on accumulation as the objective in life.
The Midrash Koheles states in the name of Rav Yuden: No one leaves the world and half of his desire in his hand. On the other hand, Yaakov understands that this world is a medium to the Next World. It is a place of opportunity to connect with Hashem via Torah and mitzvost. The pleasures of the world are amongst the tools to be used to reach the true goal of this life.
The Ramchal in his sefer Mesilas Yesharim chapter 11 states: It is the lust for money which binds a man in the shackles of this world, harnessing thick ropes of labor and preoccupation upon his arms, as scripture says (Koheles 5:9): "one who loves money will never be satiated with money". He continues: It is what takes a person away from the service of G-d, for so many prayers are lost and so many mitzvot are neglected due to excessive preoccupation and much laboring after profit.
The Gemara Eiruvin 54a cites “Keen scholar, grab and eat, grab and drink, as the world from which we are departing is like a wedding feast, whose joy is only temporary, and one who does not take pleasure in it now will not be able to do so in the future”. The insight is that the world is only a temporary place where we pack our souls with Mitzvohs and Torah, in order to prepare ourselves for the world to come. The wedding only lasts for a short time. Fill up the time with good deeds!
