"Mazel Tov, Mazel Tov!" After twenty years of being childless, Rivka finally gave birth to not one but two boys. Her happiness was marred though, as she knew that one of them would require superhuman strength to overcome his tendency toward evil. When she saw that one of them was covered with hair it wasn't hard to figure out which the difficult one was.
Hair is a very special phenomenon. It grows rapidly and yet has no life of its own; it is constantly produced yet produces nothing; it has a very important function in protecting the body, yet cutting it off does not hurt. It is like the peel of the fruit that protects the inside but is not really a part of it.
Understanding the function of peels, Klipos, is essential to the understanding of the inner wisdom of Torah. The very term 'inner' implies that there is an 'outer', for if there is no distinction, all is one. In fact, since the world was created for there to be existence 'outside' of His Eternal Existence, so to speak, it would seem that the 'outer' is truly the focal point of creation! Well, it sounds good, and it could be what Esav thought, but it's not true. The raison d'etre of the 'outside' is, like peels, to further the good of the 'inside'. When peels separate themselves from the fruit, they become useless and are thrown away. likewise, Esav could have brought about the ultimate purpose of creation, subjugating the 'Ish Sadeh', the 'man of the outside', to the 'Ish Tam', the 'whole man', making the incomplete an integral part of the whole.
When Yitzchak found out that Esav was not fulfilling his destiny, he blessed him with an alternative way of achieving the same goal. 'Al Charbecha Tichye', you will live (eternally) on the merit of your sword. By being a watch-dog for his brother Yaakov and not letting him stray off the path, he could still have merit in bringing the world to its completion. Not a pleasant job, and if he bites unnecessarily his Master will beat him ruthlessly, but at least he has a chance.
Yaakov and Esav are an eternal dichotomy, born together and dying together. They can either fight endlessly or get along peacefully forever.
Adapted from Rabbi Vali's book on Bereshis. Questions and subscriptions can be mailed to: the Yeshiva