It was a sad day. Avraham had passed away and Yitzchak was in mourning. Yaakov went to the kitchen to cook the traditional meal for mourners – lentils. Esav, though, spent the day committing terrible sins, including killing Nimrod. After his day full of disgusting actions, he came home, extremely hungry and tired, to see his brother cooking a meal. He immediately begged for the food to be poured down his throat, as he was so famished he thought he would die. Yaakov made Esav swear to give away his birthright and then he would give him something to eat. Esav made a vow and then sat down to make his tummy happy. Esav laughed that whole night thinking he made the greatest deal of his life: he got a “free” meal in exchange for giving away something that he thought was worth nothing. But later in the parsha, Esav realized his terrible error: he gave up an everlasting reward for a momentary enjoyment.

The story is told about a teenage boy that delivered flowers a few days a week after Yeshiva to make a few cents. One Friday afternoon, after he was done delivering the flowers, he went to the mikveh (bath house) and as he took a bath, he left his money in his pants. After his bath, he found that someone had stolen the money he had made. He realized at that point that material goods have no worth. Money can easily be stolen and never returned. On the other hand, Torah can never be stolen. Once someone learns something, it remains with them forever. This boy grew up to be the great Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yechezkel Levenstein. He devoted his entire life to Torah because money could be lost so easily.

Once, a boat was filled with passengers who were traveling to make a new home in a new land. Everyone walked on with lots of luggage, but one of the travelers had no luggage. When asked where his luggage was, he replied he had better luggage than anyone else on the boat. They all laughed at him. Halfway through the trip, pirates overtook the boat and stole everyone’s suitcases. When they finally arrived at their destination, everyone was upset they lost all of their supplies, except for the one man without luggage. He ran into a local shul and began teaching. Possessions can be stolen but Torah cannot be.

So many people run after money, but money can disappear so quickly. How many people have gone from being millionaires to beggars within the past year? On the other hand, Torah is eternal. Once you have it, it cannot be taken away from you. Esav realized the mistake he made – he had something that was eternal, but gave it up for some food. The food is now long gone, but the birthright is still with Yaakov! Let’s not make the same mistake Esav made.

Good Shabbos!
-yes
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