Batya Hefter-A tale of two brothers: Jacob and Esau (Vayishlach)

Esau, the impulsive son, the coarse hunter, father of Amalek, comes to symbolize evil.  THe sages, following the tradition of the prophecies of Ovadiah and Malachi, view Esau and his descendants as the eternal, arch-enemies of Israel. Thus, the following midrash, describing Jacob’s preparations on the eve of his fateful meeting with his brother, is nothing less than astounding:

“And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids and his 11 children” (Genesis 32:22). Where then was Dinah? He put her in a box and locked her in, saying, “This wicked man has an aspiring eye; let him not take her away from me.” (Genesis Rabbah, Vayishlach76).

The midrash goes on to explain that Jacob was punished on this account because he had kept Dinah from his brother, for she might have led Esau back to the right path; because of this she later fell into the hands of Shechem! In other words, Jacob should have offered Dinah to Esau in an effort to reform him, and his not doing so resulted in a terrible tragedy for the entire family.

Read the full article on the Times of Israel