Parshas Toldos begins by telling us about Yitzchak's family: Eleh Toldos Yitzchak "These are the children of Yitzchak." But this possuk does not tell us about the children of Yitzchak.

Because the names of Yitzchak's children are not mentioned in the possuk, Rashi explains that the possuk refers to "Yaakov and Esav, about whom this parshah speaks."

But wouldn't we have known this without looking into Rashi? Most of us surely know that Yaakov and Esav were Yitzchak's only children. So why did Rashi make a point of telling us?

If we read Rashi's words carefully, we will realize that he is trying to teach us something deeper than the names of the children. With the words, "about whom this parshah speaks," Rashi teaches us how to think about Yaakov - and even more so, how to think about Esav.

We know that Esav was a person who did not always do good deeds. We do not approve of what he did or the way he talked. But Rashi tells us, "Yaakov and Esav, about whom this parshah speaks." We should look at a person, even an Esav, the way our parshah in the Torah speaks.

What does this mean?

The Torah does not decide whether a person is good only by his deeds. The Torah looks deeper, into his neshamah, and searches for the good which is there. Every Jewish neshamah is good, because it is a part of HaShem. Even if a person may not do good deeds, the goodness of his neshamah is there, and the Torah tells us that it has the power to come out. Nothing can stand in the way of the neshamah.

Rashi is teaching us not to jump to our own conclusions about Esav. Instead, we should try to see things in the same way as the Torah. This helps us realize that even a person like Esav has good inside, and that HaShem is waiting patiently for it to come out and shine.

Yitzchak realized this. That is why he was willing to give Esav the precious blessings he had received from Avraham. He was hoping that Esav would be able to bring out the goodness in his neshamah and begin doing good deeds.

(Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. V, Parshas Toldos)