Parshas Toldos tells the curious story of Rivka's pregnancy, after twenty years of childlessness, and the struggle between her twin sons, Yaakov and Esau, which began in the womb.
Rivka felt uneasy and a bit confused during her pregnancy. Our Sages explain that if Rivka walked past a house of study, one child would begin kicking his feet. And if she walked past a place of avoda zara, idol worship, the other child would begin kicking.
When Rivka's twins were born and began to mature, it was easy for her to identify which child was which. Rivka's younger twin, Yaakov, enjoyed being at home and learning Torah at the feet of his father, Yitzchok, and grandfather, Avraham. Yaakov was born with a refined and gentle nature.
Esau, the older twin, however, was a man of the field, coarse and fearless. He preferred being outside, trapping and hunting animals for both food and sport. It wasn't unusual for him to be gone several days on his excursions.
The day that Avraham passed away, Esau had killed a man on the road and came home starving and exhausted. Yaakov was in the kitchen cooking lentil soup for Yitzchok, who was mourning the loss of his father.
In his harried state, Esau demanded that Yaakov pour him a bowl of soup. Yaakov replied that he would give Esau a bowl of soup if Esau would give Yaakov his birthright as the first born. Esau saw no use in the blessings bequeathed to the eldest son and gladly agreed to the exchange.
Rivka, having grown up in a home of evil doers, saw the distinct differences between her two sons. She recognized the unsavory character traits of her relatives in Esau, while seeing that Yaakov possessed the spiritual attributes of Avraham and Yitzchok.
On the other hand, the Torah tells us strangely that "וַיֶּֽאֱהַ֥ב יִצְחָ֛ק אֶת־עֵשָׂ֖ו" (Genesis 25:28). Yitzchok loved Esau, while Rivka loved Yaakov.
Wouldn't a righteous man like Yitzchok favor the refined, holy son who walked in his footsteps? What was it specifically that Yitzchok saw in Esau?
Some commentators posit that Esau was able to trick Yitzchok into believing he was a righteous man. Having lived a life surrounded by holiness, Yitzchok did not see the guile or deception in his oldest son.
Other commentators posit, however, that Yitzchok saw Esau exactly as he was and loved him because of it. How could this be?
We can understand this position by learning about the two types of Divine Service, discussed by Maimonides and elucidated further by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the author of the Tanya.
According to the Tanya, the first type of Divine Service is that of the Tzaddik, the perfectly righteous one who has no evil inclination. He, or she, is good and does good. These holy ones are rare, perhaps "one in a generation" rare. This was the service of Yaakov.
The second type of Divine Service is that of the Benoni, loosely translated as the Intermediate One. The work of the Benoni is to sublimate and overcome his evil inclination therefore transforming evil into good. The Benoni, in essence, is a fighter. He struggles. He battles. He overcomes. He isn't born holy. He makes himself holy.
What Yitzchok saw is that Esau had the potential to transform evil into good, an accomplishment that, as Tzaddikim, neither he nor Yaakov could achieve.
Rivka also saw this potential in Esau but with the experience of her youth, she realized it was a goal he would fail to achieve.
