At the turn of the twentieth century, the world was certain it knew what the future of the automobile would be. The most admired and technologically advanced cars were not powered by gasoline but by steam. The Stanley Steamer, built by the twin brothers Freelan and Francis Stanley, was the marvel of its time: smooth, silent, elegant, and astonishingly fast. In 1906, a Stanley Steamer set a land speed record of 127 miles per hour on a Florida beach, a speed gasoline cars could not yet approach. Newspapers called it “the perfect automobile,” and most experts assumed steam would dominate personal transportation just as it powered locomotives and ships.

Gasoline cars, by comparison, seemed crude and amateurish. Early gas engines were noisy, difficult to start, and prone to stalls and backfires. They leaked oil, shook violently, and demanded constant mechanical attention. Steam cars glided along the road. Gasoline cars rattled and coughed their way forward. It was obvious, at least in those early years, that steam was the superior technology. The Stanley brothers sold to elite customers who wanted refinement and speed and the sense that they were purchasing the most advanced machine on wheels. Gasoline cars remained the domain of hobbyists and mechanics.

Yet within a decade, everything changed. Gasoline cars became simpler, easier to use, and faster to manufacture. A gas car could be started instantly, without waiting for a boiler to build pressure. Fuel stations began to appear across the country, while steam cars still needed water refills and constant monitoring. The Stanley Steamer, once the undisputed symbol of innovation, suddenly became a complicated luxury in a world that wanted convenience and practicality. By 1915, the steam car industry collapsed. Gasoline took over the century, not because it was the better technology, but because it was the easier product to live with. The car that once held the speed record lost to the machine that any person could start and drive.

The technology rivalry that started with an apparently strong early winner saw the tables turned completely and now the steam-driven cars are barely a memory.

In this week’s Torah reading of Toldot (literally, “generations”), we see a sibling rivalry that would become foundational for world history. Here too, the apparent strong early winner found himself outmaneuvered by his weaker brother and historically would become barely a memory.

Last week’s reading ended with the marriage of Isaac son of Abraham to his cousin (once-removed), Rebecca.

This week’s reading tells us that the couple had trouble conceiving, though with some prayer and divine intervention, Rebecca eventually becomes pregnant, but it’s a difficult pregnancy. It turns out she is carrying twins, and Rebecca receives a prophecy that two nations will rise from these two boys, and one will subjugate the other. Esau was born first and he is unusually hairy and ruddy. Jacob comes out second, holding onto Esau’s ankle. The boys grow up with divergent interests. Esau is described as a man of the field, while Jacob seems to be a meek and perhaps studious tent-dweller. Esau is Isaac’s favorite, while Rebecca prefers Jacob. These twins apparently don’t get along as well as twin brothers Freelan and Francis Stanley did.

Then the stage is set for the next scene in the future power-struggle. Esau returns famished from the field and asks Jacob for food. Jacob offers him the food in exchange for the rights of the firstborn. Esau is dismissive of these rights and says “sure.” Jacob feeds Esau well.

We then have an interlude of Isaac and Rebecca dwelling in Gerar and we have a repeat of them claiming to be brother and sister because of Rebecca’s great beauty, as Isaac’s parents, Abraham and Sarah had done a generation before. Similarly, the ruse is discovered. While he’s in the area, Isaac digs up his father’s wells and while there are some altercations with the people of Gerar, eventually they come to a peace agreement, mostly because they are impressed with Isaac’s wild success and power.

Then we fast forward to Isaac as an old man, and he has become blind in his old age. He commands his favorite, his firstborn, Esau, to hunt and prepare a special meal for him so he can then convey a powerful blessing before he dies. Rebecca gets wind of the plan and commands Jacob to bring the meal to Isaac so he will get the blessing. Jacob is hesitant as he fears his blind father may discover that he’s not Esau. Rebecca uses the fur of the recently used lambs to cover Jacob’s arms and neck, to seem like his hairy sibling, Esau.

The ruse works. While Isaac is suspicious, and asks to feel Jacob, he ends up stating “the voice is the voice of Jacob, and the arm are the arms of Esau.” Isaac does indeed give Jacob a powerful blessing of wealth and dominion over his brother.

Exit Jacob and shortly thereafter, Esau enters, seeking his blessing. Isaac is initially confused and awe-stricken. Then he understands that it was Jacob in disguise who received the blessing. Isaac affirms that Jacob will keep that blessing and goes on to describe what was given. Esau is heartbroken and cries. He begs his father for a blessing as well. Isaac does give Esau a blessing that he will live off the fat of the land and that while his brother’s nation will at some point rule his, he will also throw off that yoke at some point and reverse the domination.

Esau vows in his heart to kill Jacob after their father dies. Rebecca is somehow informed of Esau’s intentions and tells Jacob he needs to leave their home in Canaan and go to her brother in Haran.

In parallel, Rebecca complains to Isaac about Esau’s wives (he had two local Hittite wives, which were a cause of anguish to Isaac and Rebecca. Rebecca didn’t want Jacob to also marry a local girl.

Isaac summons Jacob and commands him to go to Rebecca’s brother, Lavan, in Haran, and marry one of his daughters. Before Jacob departs, Isaac also blesses Jacob with Abraham’s blessing that he will father a multitude and that they will inherit the land of Canaan.

Esau, seeing how Isaac had sent Jacob away to seek a non-local wife, took it to heart and married the daughter of his uncle Yishmael to be his prime wife.

So, while Esau may have been the strong, favored son in Isaac’s eyes, the situation didn’t work out as linearly as either of them might have expected. The story of Jacob and Esau and their descendants would be a long and complicated one. In the end, the descendants of Jacob would have a clear, strong and impactful history, while the descendants of Esau would only survive perhaps conceptually or by loose association with peoples who would no longer have a continuous history with the once strong founder.

We will encounter Esau once more in a few weeks, but from this point onward, the Torah’s focus will be exclusively on Jacob and his family, until the end of the Book of Genesis.