(Note their is no dvar Torah for Chayei Sarah in 5785.)
When discussing the twin brothers, Yaakov and Eisav, what comes to mind is a polite scholar and a vicious hunter or warrior. In fact, this is what we envision what Yitzchak is referring to when he says, (Breishis 27:22):
| “The voice is the voice of Yaakov, but the hands are the hands of Esav.” | הַקֹּל֙ ק֣וֹל יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וְהַיָּדַ֖יִם יְדֵ֥י עֵשָֽׂו: |
The gemara in Gitten 57b darshans (extrapolates) a deeper meaning behind the words of this pasuk: “Another interpretation, ‘the voice is the voice of Yaakov’ There is no prayer that works which isn’t based in the seed of Yaakov. ‘And the hands are the hands of Eisav,’ There is no victorious war which isn’t based in the seed of Eisav. And this is what Rebbe Elazar said, ‘you will be concealed with the prowling tongue’ (Iyov 5:21), with an argumentative tongue you will be concealed.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Maharsha has a novel approach in explaining this gemara. He says that the gemara’s drasha comes from the fact that the Torah repeats the term “the voice,” which must mean that “his voice” is a sign for his children, just as Chaza”l says (Zohar 1:144a and see the Rashi on this pasuk), that “His voice” is referring to the way he talked, he speaks entreatingly: “Please rise my father etc.” So too the voice of his children in times of suffering [will beseech Hashem in the same manner.] And the repetition of the hand, “and the hands are the hands of Eisav” is referring to war which occurs through the hand, as the Torah writes (Shemos 14:31), “the great hand etc.,” and this is a sign to his children that they will be victorious in the hand of war. This could also be understood the opposite way, for condemnation, as it says in a medrish (Breishis Rabba 65:20), “the children of Yaakov are dependent on their voice. When the children of Yaakov complain with their voice, the hands of Eisav will control them, as it says, “The entire community of the children of Israel complained against Moses and against Aharon in the desert…. Amalek (descendants of Eisav) came and fought with Israel in Rephidim” (Shemos 16:2, 17:8). This is what the gemara means when it says, “for Rebbe Elazar said… with an argumentative tongue you will be concealed,” for if there will be an argumentative tongue amongst the children of Yaakov they will be concealed by the hand of Eisav. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The opposite of condemnation (chovah) is merit (zechus), and it would seem that because of the merits of Eisav, who was known to be a warrior as we see from Rashi and the Sifsei Chachamim (Breishis 27:15) that he killed the mightiest warrior of the time, Nimrod, and took his cloak, his descendants would merit to be victorious in many wars. In fact we find that the Roman Empire, which descended from Eisav, conquered and ruled over the entire inhabited world at some point in history. What follows is that the prayers of the descendants of Yaakov, when beseeching Hashem in times of suffering, are answered in the merit of Yaakov. For just as he spoke to his father politely we will beseech Our Father In Heaven graciously for his help in our times of need; but He will only answer us because of the merits of Yaakov.
Why are the prayers of the Jews and the success in war of the children of Eisav dependent on their ancestors, Yaakov or Eisav? Shouldn’t success be based on their own merits, if they deserve it? Granted, Hashem enables everything to happen, but he gives us free will to decide how much kavana, intent, we put into our prayers, as well as in which way we approach Hashem. He also allows people to put in the effort to make up their plans and strategies in war. So why should this all be attributed to ancestors that lived thousands of years ago?
It would seem that even though free choice does play a role, to the extent that our tongue could create opposite results, for condemnation which leads to being ruled by the enemy or for merit which deserves salvation, but Hashem built into this world that without the merits of Yaakov, or Eisav for that matter, the merits of their actions won’t come into fruition. This can be used as another realization in emuna, belief in Hashem and how He runs his world and could be a very humbling thought to ponder.