Rebecca, hitherto infertile, became pregnant. Suffering acute pain, “she went to inquire of the L‑rd” (va-teilech lidrosh et Hashem).1 The explanation she received was that she was carrying twins who were contending in her womb. They were destined to do so long into the future:
Two nations are in your womb,
And two peoples from within you will be separated;
One people will be stronger than the other,
And the older will serve the younger (ve-rav yaavod tza’ir).2
Eventually the twins are born—first Esau, then (his hand grasping his brother’s heel) Jacob.
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