Torah insights Parshas Vayishlach -Topic names of Aisav's wives - Rabbi Yossi Paltiel - 5782
Description
Vayishlach 36:02-03 The names of Aisav’s wives Aisav may have had four or even five wives (se RaMbaN here) but we’ll assume what RaShI says that there were only three, but each had two names, and one even had a father with a changed name. יהודית בת בארי is אהליבמה בת ענה בת צבעון Yehudis mean submission to denial of idol worship, but it was to fool Yitzchok and Rivka, alternatively it is her single minded submission to idol worship Beairi means a well, but it means here a well that is not living בארות נשברים Ahalivama means a tent for a במה which is a platform for worship, and represents גאוה and separateness from God. בשמת בת אלון is עדה בת אלון The father’s name is Ailon from the word that means a plain אלוני ממרא representing openness with no constraint. Basmas means smelling nice, either in offering incense to idols or in fooling the in laws into thinking she’s a girl of good character. Her second name Ada is reminiscent of the second wife of Lemech who he couldn’t be around, and here were dealing with the evil Aisav, and even he found it hard being around Ada, yet he married her. מחלת בת ישמעאל אחות נביות is בשמת בת ישמעאל אחות נביות Basmas actually was, relative to the other two wives pretty benign though she was also a מרשעת, but she has Yishmael’s character, a pleasure seeker but not evil. Her brother Nevayos who married her just talks too much and says nothing. Her second name Machalas denotes that even a big Rasha who marries is doing something noble and is forgiven for his sins. [the story of Shazar’s presidency].