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Joel Wolowesky asks for a source for Rav Hirsch's comment that:
"Our sages, who never objected to draw attention to the small and
great mistakes in the history of our great forefathers, ... point out
that the striking contrast in the grandchildren of Abraham may have
been due, not so much to a difference in their temperaments as to
mistakes in the way they were brought up.... Had Isaac and Rebecca
studied Esav's nature and character early enough and asked themselves how
can even an Esav ... be won over to the service of God,... who can say
what a different aspect of the whole history of the ages might have been
presented."
It is not clear to me what part of that statement is being attributed to
Hazal, and what is Rav Hirsch's own . Although I am not familiar with the
specific Ya'akov/Esav example, the Avot are upbraided by Meforshim when
their behavior is inappropriate. Perhaps the most famous example is the
Ramban on Breishit 15:6, who argues that Sarai and Avram sinned in
banishing Hagar from their home. The Radak points out that this is the
Torah's way of teaching us to avoid Middot Raot.
While I believe that such an approach is appropriate for students who have
gained a sense of the greatness of the Avot, for less mature students,
teaching that the Avot were fallible is problematic, even if the idea is
to learn a lesson from them.
Yitz</HTML>
