The Death of Abraham and the Sale of the Birthright

Abraham dies "in a good old age, old and satisfied," at a hundred and seventy-five. Isaac and Ishmael bury him together in the cave of Machpelah beside Sarah, and the order of their names is read as a sign that Ishmael acknowledged his brother and repented. Tradition says Abraham died five years early so that he would not see his grandson Esau go astray. On the very day of the burial comes the scene that shapes the future. Jacob cooks lentils—round like a wheel, the ordinary food of mourners—for his father. Esau comes in from the field exhausted and says, "Let me gulp some of that red, red stuff," which is why he was called Edom. Jacob answers, "Sell me today your birthright." This was no mere extra share of property: the birthright carried the right of service, which belonged to firstborns before the tribe of Levi. Esau swears it away, and the Torah concludes: "And Esau despised the birthright."