זוהר, תולדות ד׳Zohar, Toldot 4

Segment 1א׳

אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק, כְּתִיב, (בראשית כ״ה:כ״ב) וַיִּתְרֹצֲצוּ הַבָּנִים בְּקִרֵבָּהּ וַתֹּאמֶר אִם כֵּן לָמָּה זֶה אָנֹכִי וַתֵּלֶךְ לִדְרשׁ אֶת יְיָ, לְאָן אֲתַר אָזְלַת. לְבֵי מִדְרְשָׁא דְּשֵׁם וְעֵבֶר. וַיִּתְרֹצֲצוּ הַבָּנִים בְּקִרְבָּהּ, דְּתַמָּן הֲוָה הַהוּא רָשָׁע דְּעֵשָׂו אֲגַח קְרָבָא בֵּיהּ בְּיַעֲקֹב. וַיִּתְרֹצֲצוּ, אִתְבָּרוּ כְּמָה דְאַמְרִינָן, רָצַץ אֶת מוֹחוֹ. אִתְבָּרוּ דָּא עִם דָּא וְאִתְפְּלָגוּ. תָּא חֲזֵי, דָּא סִטְרָא דְּרוֹכֵב נָחָשׁ, וְדָא סִטְרָא דְּרוֹכֵב עַל כָּרְסְיָא שְׁלֵימָתָא קַדִּישָׁא בְּסִטְרָא דְּשִׁמְשָׁא, לְשַׁמָּשָׁא בְּסִיהֲרָא.

R. Isaac said: ‘It is written: AND THE CHILDREN STRUGGLED TOGETHER WITHIN HER; AND SHE SAID, IF IT BE SO, WHEREFORE DO I LIVE? AND SHE WENT TO ENQUIRE OF THE LORD. Whither did she go? To the Academy of Shem and Eber. “And the children struggled together within her”, for there already Esau declared war against Jacob. The term vayithrozzu (and they struggled) is akin to a root meaning “to break”, and thus it implies that they broke asunder and drifted away from each other. Observe that the one was of the side of him who rides the serpent, whilst the other was of the side of Him who rides on the sacred and perfect throne; of the side of the sun that illumines the moon.

Segment 2ב׳

וְתָא חֲזֵי, בְּגִין דְּאִתְמְשַׁךְ עֵשָׂו אֲבַתְרִיהּ דְּהַהוּא נָחָשׁ, אָזִיל עִמֵּיהּ יַעֲקֹב בְּעֲקִימָא, כְּנָחָשׁ דְּאִיהוּ חַכִּים, וְאִיהוּ אָזִיל בְּעֲקִימוּ, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (בראשית ג׳:א׳) וְהַנָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוֹם וְגו', חַכִּים. וְעוֹבָדוֹי דְיַעֲקֹב לְגַבֵּיהּ הֲווּ לֵיהּ כְּנָחָשׁ, וְהָכִי אִצְטְרִיךְ לֵיהּ, בְּגִין לְאַמְשָׁכָא לֵיהּ לְעֵשָׂו בַּתְרֵיהּ דְּהַהוּא נָחָשׁ, וְיִתְפְּרַשׁ מִנֵּיהּ, וְלָא יְהֵא לֵיהּ חוּלָקָא עִמֵּיהּ בְּעַלְמָא דֵין וּבְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי. וְתָנִינָן, בָּא לְהָרְגְּךָ, אַקְדִּים אַנְתְּ וְקַטְלֵיהּ. כְּתִיב, בַּבֶּטֶן עָקַב אֶת אָחִיו דְּאַשְׁרֵי לֵיהּ לְתַתָּא, בְּהַהוּא עָקֵב, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (בראשית כח) וְיָדוֹ אוֹחֶזֶת בַּעֲקֵב עֵשָׂו, דְּשַׁוֵּי יְדוֹי עַל הַהוּא עָקֵב לְאִכַּפְיָא לֵיהּ.

And observe further that because Esau was drawn after that serpent, Jacob dealt with him crookedly like the serpent, who is cunning and goes crookedly, as we read: “And the serpent was more cunning etc.” (Gen. 3, 1). Jacob then dealt with him after the manner of the serpent in order to draw him further serpentward, so that he should separate further from himself and thus not have any share with him either in this world or in the world to come; and our teachers have said, “When a man comes to kill you, kill him first.” It is written of Jacob: “In the womb he took his brother by the heel” (Hos. 12, 4), that is, he drew him downwards by the heel. So it says: AND HIS HAND HAD HOLD ON ESAU’S HEEL, i.e he put his hand on Esau’s heel in order thereby to force him down.

Segment 3ג׳

דָבָר אַחֵר וְיָדוֹ אוֹחֶזֶת, דְּלָא יָכִיל לְמֵיפַּק מִנֵּיהּ מִכֹּל וָכֹל, אֶלָּא וְיָדוֹ אוֹחֶזֶת בַּעֲקֵב עֵשָׂו דָּא סִיהֲרָא, דְּאִתְכַּסְּיָא נְהוֹרָא בְּגִין עֵקֶב דְּעֵשָׂו, וְעַל דָּא אִצְטְרִיךְ לֵיהּ לְמֵיהַךְ עִמֵּיהּ בְּחָכְמְתָא, בְּגִין לְדַחֲיָיא לֵיהּ לְתַתָּא וְיִתְדַּבַּק בְּאַתְרֵיהּ.

According to another explanation, the words “and his hand had hold” imply that he could not escape him entirely, but his hand was still clinging to his brother’s heel. Esoterically speaking, the moon was obscured through the heel of Esau; hence it was necessary to deal with him cunningly, so as to thrust him downwards and make him adhere to the region assigned to him.