Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Genesis 28:6/אור החיים על בראשית כ״ח:ו׳
אוַיַּרְא עֵשָׂו כִּי בֵרַךְ וְגוֹ׳. פָּסוּק זֶה אֵין לוֹ גִּזְרָה, וְאִם גִּזְרָתוֹ הוּא ״וַיֵּלֶךְ עֵשָׂו אֶל יִשְׁמָעֵאל״ הָיָה מַסְפִּיק בַּפָּסוּק שֶׁאַחֲרֵי זֶה ״וַיַּרְא עֵשָׂו כִּי רָעוֹת״.
1 וירא עשו כי ברך יצחק את יעקב, Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, etc. This verse does not seem to tell us anything new. If it were meant to tell us that this was the reason Esau took an additional non-Canaanite wife, verse eight would have sufficed for that purpose.
באָכֵן כַּוָּנַת הַכָּתוּב הִיא לְהוֹדִיעַ שֶׁיָּדַע עֵשָׂו הֲלִיכַת יַעֲקֹב וְאָפְנָהּ, כִּי הָלַךְ בְּמִצְוַת אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ וְגַם לְמִצְוַת קִיחַת אִשָּׁה, וְגַם בֵּרְכוּהוּ בְּשַׁלְּחָם אוֹתוֹ, כִּי לְצַד זֶה לֹא רְדָפוֹ שֶׁיָּדַע שֶׁיִּמָּנַע מִיָּדוֹ, הֱיוֹתוֹ הוֹלֵךְ לִשְׁתֵּי מִצְווֹת: כִּבּוּד אָב וָאֵם וּלְקִיחַת אִשָּׁה. וַהֲגַם שֶׁשָּׁלַח אֱלִיפַז כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (בראשית כט:יא), אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁבָּחַן כִּי הוּא נוֹצֵחַ בַּדֶּרֶךְ לְיַעֲקֹב, וּמַעֲשֵׂה אָבוֹת עָשׂוּ בָּנִים אֲשֶׁר קִדַּם בַּדֶּרֶךְ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְחָשַׁב עֵשָׂו כִּי גָּדוֹל כֹּחַ אֱלִיפַז מִכֹּחוֹ בִּבְחִינַת רְדִיפָה בַּדֶּרֶךְ לְיַעֲקֹב וּבָנָיו.
2We must therefore look for some meaning beyond the mere words of the verse. Esau was aware of Jacob's' departure and of its nature, i.e. that he thereby fulfilled both a commandment by his father and mother and the commandment to look for a wife. Knowing that Isaac had blessed Jacob to complete his undertaking successfully, Esau did not bother to pursue Jacob, realising that under such circumstances he would not succeed. Although Esau is reputed to have sent his eldest son Eliphaz to catch up with Jacob and to kill him (according to Rashi on Genesis 29,11), it is possible that he merely wanted to test his ability to vanquish Jacob on his journey. This scenario may have been re-enacted when the descendants of Esau (Amalek) attacked the Israelites after the latter had crossed the sea of reeds. Esau considered his son's ability to pursue Jacob successfully as greater than his own ability to do so.