Vayishlach 5785

Before Yaakov met Esav after twenty years, Yaakov sent Esav an immense gift of livestock (see Beraishis 32:14-22). When they finally met, Esav initially protested (Ibid. 33:9): “I have plenty. My brother, let what you have remain yours.” However, Yaakov insisted that Esav accept the gift (Ibid. 33:11): “’Please accept my gift which was brought to you, since G-d has been gracious to me and inasmuch as I have everything.’ He urged him, and he accepted.” Why was Yaakov so insistent that Esav accept his gift?

The Seforno explains that Yaakov understood that the immense gift was tantamount to a bribe, and that by accepting it Esav would leave Yaakov at peace and not harm him. This is puzzling. Esav harbored intense hatred for Yaakov after Yaakov surreptitiously obtained the blessing that was intended for Esav. (See Beraishis 20:41). This intense hatred burned within Esav for twenty years to such an extent that he brought with him four hundred men with the intention of harming or killing Yaakov. How could any gift dissuade Esav from his long-standing desire to take revenge against his brother?

The Seforno tells us the incredible power of gifts. When a person accepts a gift, it unconsciously upends one’s thinking. Previously, Esav wanted to murder Yaakov. By accepting the gift, not only would Esav not kill Yaakov, but he would accept Yaakov as his brother (See the Netziv on  33:9). That is why the Torah admonishes a judge: “Do not accept a bribe, for the bribe will blind those who see and corrupt words that are just (Shemos 23:8).”

The Seforno contrasts Esav’s acceptance of the gift with Elisha the prophet. After Elisha successfully told the Aramian general Naaman how to cure his leprosy, Naaman sought to give Elisha a gift. The Nach tells us that Elisha swore not to accept Naaman’s gift: “As G-d lives, whom I serve, I will not accept anything (Kings II 5:16).” Naaman still persisted. “He [Naaman] urged him [Elisha] to take it, but he refused (Ibid.).” What is the Seforno adding by referencing this story to his interpretation that Yaakov effectively bribed Esav through his gift? Naaman was dealing with Elisha, the greatest prophet of his time. Of course he would never accept a gift from Naaman. The Malbim explains that he could never accept a gift and still demonstrate to the world that his actions were completely לקדש שם שמים (to sanctify G-d’s name). Rashi says that he refused to accept the gift because the money included funds obtained from idolatry. How is Elisha an appropriate counterexample to Esav, since he was such a holy person and would never anyway have accepted a gift?

The Seforno wants to prove to us that accepting a gift inevitably changes the behavior of the recipient. This is true even if the recipient is someone of the caliber of Ellisha the prophet. Elisha knew this and therefore felt the need to take an oath to bolster his willpower to refuse the gift. (See the Aderet Eliyahu on Devarim 6:6). If someone on the level of Elisha, who clearly recognized the dangers of accepting the gift, and yet still felt tempted to accept the gift, then of course every person will find it difficult to refuse a gift and not to influenced by it.

The Rabbis recognized the positive as well as the negative power of gifts. The mitzvah of mishloach manos, or the sending of food gifts on Purim, was intended to increase friendship and camaraderie among the Jewish people. Indeed, many rabbis recommend providing mishloach manos to someone with whom one has a tense relationship in order to improve that relationship. Similarly, sending a gift any time of the year to someone who is upset at you will often have a positive result.

Yaakov understood that his gifts could even influence his brother Esav to abandon his long-held desire to harm and kill him. We should utilize the power of gifts to promote friendship and good-will with others. In that merit we should eventually see a world free of hatred where “all wickedness will vanish like smoke.” (Amidah for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur).