Some people are troubled by Evolution, Intelligent Design, Prophesy and the Oneness of G-d. I’m cool with all that.
I’m troubled by Lentil Soup.
Lentil Soup Is Not Red. Even the reddest of lentils always turn yellow when cooked.
So what was that Red, Red stuff that Eisav demanded and why was Eisav called ‘Edom’ (Red) from that day onward?
I’ve asked dozens of people without receiving a satisfactory explanation. It seems that people of all ages and around the world (including you) choose to believe in Red Lentil Soup (RLS) despite demonstrable evidence to the contrary. They make excuses: Lentils were different in those days, Red was different in those days, and pots were different in those days. I don’t go for that.
I cannot prove beyond a doubt that there were no other red ingredients in the soup, but I do think it is highly unlikely. The Torah is clear that lentils and their redness were the basis of the story. Also, contemporary mourners have replaced lentils with hard boiled eggs, and I have NEVER heard of anyone mixing ingredients into an Aveil’s egg (to make devil’s egg, for instance). It is most likely that the lentils were eaten plain. Tomatoes are the obvious red ingredient and it is well established that Yaacov Avinu never saw a tomato.
Enter my new hero, Gil Marks. Gil has an entire essay devoted to RLS, he writes:
“There is something unexpected in Esau’s request, for despite his evident hurry and bluntness, he says “na.” This term, like many things in this parsha, can be taken two ways: it usually means please [or immediate – SH], but can also translate as “raw” (Exodus 12:9). In other words, Esau wanted the stew before it was even fully cooked, which for red lentils is a relatively short time, in as little as ten minutes once the water is boiling. This corresponds to the tenor of the rest of Esau’s demand to literally “pour the red stuff down his throat,” not even taking time to chew or savor it. And, in fact, since red lentils tend to turn pink or golden as they cook, a red hue would seem to indicate an underdone state. Thus Esau was certainly no gourmand, practically begging to wolf down an undercooked, unsophisticated dish. It was an act of animalistic gratification, far from a spiritual expression and not even a matter of enjoyment.”
There is no such thing as Red Lentil Soup or Stew. The only reason it was red is because it was still raw!
Eisav lived for the moment. He scorned the Birthright by bartering it for immediate gratification. A person who is not even willing to wait for his soup to cook can have no appreciation for something as esoteric and responsibility laden as the Bechora.
I emailed Gil to thank him and to ask for the source of his new insight. This was his response:
“Sender,
Thanks for your compliment. Glad my writing was helpful. The pshat on the rawness of the lentil soup is actually mine, developed from my knowledge of food. I noticed it one time when I was making red lentil soup.
I believe that is why Hashem made us all different, each of us has knowledge and strength in specific areas that allow us to understand Chumash in a new and special light, and thereby contribute unique chidushim. Next time you read the parsha, try looking at various items and events in light of your specific strengths and knowledge. You might be surprised with the chidushim you devise.
Gil Marks”
We need to explore and reevaluate our understanding of the Torah each and every year. Even if, as children, we learned that Yaacov made Red Lentil Soup, we can still take a step back twenty five years later and say “but hey, Lentil Soup isn’t Red!”
It just plain isn’t.
Postscript: My esteemed cousin, Rabbi Avi Horowitz recently pointed me in the direction of of the commentary “Mar Keshisha” written by Rav Yair Chaim Bacharach (1639-1702). He gives an almost identical explanation of Eisav’s red lentil soup.
uh oh… here we go again…I am so glad that you found a satisfactory answer…phew
Amazing it seems to me that this would match a rasha’s personality very well to do everything without getting the deeper meaning out of it it seems that this midda of Esav went so deep that it showed even in the way he ate his food without cooking it to let it be used to it’s full potential this horrible midda should make us see red as it can bring a person to unimaginable depth’s
I’m curious as to why you’re digging your heels in against the possibility that the red lentils we eat today are different from the ones eaten thousands of years ago. Many grains, fruits and vegetables have been modified as farming progressed, why would it be so strange to think that lentils haven’t been?
I’m open to the idea that ancient, middle-eastern lentils were different but I have not been able to find any evidence at all. I inquired in several organic food stores and on the internet.
I just received the following from Gil (along with a really nice note):
“By the way, Yaakov also never saw paprika either, another red coloring for soup, as it too is native to South America.”
Rabbi Shalom Shwadron in Lev Shalom quotes this vort. R’ Gil – you’re in good company!
So I posted to several SCA groups I belong to (sca.org) and asked if anyone has any documentation regarding lentils and if they’ve been modified over the centuries. So far no one has provided any sources that the lentils have changed, but several people have suggested that it is our perception of color that has changed over the centuries. (BTW, to me ‘red’ lentils aren’t very red at all. I’d call them orange.)
Somone else said that often masoor dal, which is a red lentil dish from India often will look much redder than another red lentil dish. (And a quick Google of images shows that).
And finally, here is someone’s suggestion regarding color perception: It should also be considered that color words, while normally having a fairly well-defined “central” meaning, have boundaries that are extremely fuzzy and quite variable (both between languages and over time in a language). So while the color of cooked lentils may not be as central an example of the concept/word “red” as uncooked red lentils are, it’s quite plausible that cooked-lentil-color might be included in the larger conceptual space labelled as “red” within a particular language at a particular time. And, as the evolution of color language in Western society has generally tended towards more color terms with finer distinctions between them, it’s also quite plausible that the conceptual space covered by a word for “red” at the time this story was formulated was significantly larger than that covered by the same word today.
Thank You. I found your research both flattering and fascinating. The word Edom is used in reference to blood and wine, both of which are red by our definitions as well. The words for green and orange are less defined, leaving room for a wide spectrum of reds as you suggested. I’m not convinced, but I guess it is possible. All the best!
Nice pshat.
I have a kashe, however, in comporting it with Rashi’s gloss on Esav’s name:
ויקראו שמו עשו: הכל קראו לו כן, לפי שהיה נעשה ונגמר בשערו כבן שנים הרבה
עָשׂוּי means “done”, so that might entail that indeed the RSL were infact “done” and not raw.
Rabbi Haber, I had the exact same question. Thanks for clarifying that for me.