בראשית, פרק כ״ח, פסוק ו׳

Esau’s observation of the events unfolding in his father's house provides a deep look into how he interprets reality and plans his next steps. His act of seeing is not merely a physical witnessing of events, but a process of mental deduction and internal reflection [רד״ק].

Watching his brother leave, Esau concludes that the journey's sole purpose is to find a wife. Isaac and Rebekah successfully conceal the true reason for the departure, leaving Esau completely unaware that Jacob is actually fleeing from his anger [רד״ק, בכור שור]. Furthermore, Esau recognizes that his brother is setting out to fulfill two significant commandments: honoring his parents and getting married. Respecting this, Esau refrains from pursuing or harming him [אור החיים].

Esau's attention is particularly drawn to the additional blessing Isaac grants Jacob right before he leaves. Given willingly and with complete awareness, this second blessing serves as a final seal of approval for the original blessings that were taken by deceit. It confirms that the blessings belong absolutely to Jacob, cementing his status as the rightful heir to the spiritual legacy passed down from Adam, through Noah, and unto Abraham [רבנו בחיי].

Alongside this blessing, Esau notices a strict instruction: a prohibition against marrying a Canaanite woman. The core of this command is the ban on Canaanite wives, while the directive to travel to Paddan Aram is simply practical advice on how to achieve this goal [העמק דבר, מלבי״ם]. Piecing these details together, Esau arrives at a fateful conclusion. He recognizes a direct connection between inheriting Abraham's legacy and marrying within the extended family. Consequently, he deduces that the sole reason he lost the blessings in the first place was his decision to marry Canaanite women [רשב״ם, ביאור יש״ר].

In evaluating his marriages, Esau observes that his wives are displeasing primarily to his father, Isaac. He completely dismisses the opinion of his mother, Rebekah, assuming that tension between a mother-in-law and her daughters-in-law is a natural, ordinary occurrence that does not warrant serious concern [קונטרס חיבה יתירה]. Ultimately, his new understanding fills him with hope. He believes that if he corrects his past mistake and marries a woman from Abraham's family, he will be able to reclaim the inheritance and the blessings he previously lost [רשב״ם, ביאור יש״ר].