Комментарий к Берешит 36:1

ואלה תולדות, a reference to developments in the clan started by Esau, both in people, possessions and political influence. The word תולדות in this context is analogous to “מה ילד היום,” “what the day brings.” (Proverbs 27,1)

הוא אדום, who is identical with Edom, etc. This statement is repeated three times in this paragraph. Seeing that G'd has sworn to destroy Edom the Torah had to tell us that Esau is identical with Edom. The Torah also mentioned the town where Esau lived in verse 8; according to Talmudic practice when a statement is not needed in the context in which it is written it may be applied to another context; in this instance the Torah means the town Esau lived in. In verse 19 the Torah also mentions the sons of Esau once more, identifying them with Edom to tell us that all of Esau's descendants will go up in flames at the time when the prophet's assurance (Ovadiah 18) that "Israel will become a flame and Esau the straw to be consumed" will materialise. The reason they are all included is that the Torah has described them all as Edom. All of this is hinted at in Jerusalem Talmud Nedarim 3,5 which describes that in the future Esau will wrap himself in a Talit and occupy a seat amongst the righteous. G'd, however, will remove him from there. Please read what I have written in this connection on verse 31.

ואלה...הוא אדום. Similar to על כן קרא שמו אדום, “this is why he called his name Edom in 25,30. This reference to Esau as Edom also occurs again in verse 8 of this chapter, i.e. עשו הוא אדום, “Esau is identical with Edom,” because the nation called after its founding father Esau is known as מלכות אדום, Kingdom of Edom. What the Torah means here is to alert us that the nation known today (whenever this portion is read) as Edom, was in reality descended from Esau. The Torah lists separately Esau’s descendants that were born to him while he still made his home in the land of Canaan, and those that were born after he had migrated to the land of Seir. The latter is the land G’d assigned to Esau as his inheritance.

Wenn in diesem Geschlechtsregister Namensverschiedenheiten in Vergleich mit anderswo Genannten vorkommen und solche Namensdifferenzen auch noch in andern historischen Teilen der Schrift sich finden, so wollen wir nur daran erinnern, wie wir ja schon bei den wenigen Gliedern des abrahamitischen Hauses eine verhältnismäßig sehr große Zahl von Doppelnamen finden: Abram, Abraham, Sarai, Sara; Esau, Edom; Jakob, Jisrael; Benjamin, Benoni; es kann daher auch nicht so sehr auffallen, wenn etwa Ada und Boßmath identische Namen der Tochter Elons, Ahalibama und Jehudith etc. identisch wären.

ואלה תולדות עשו, “and these are the descendants of Esau;” the prefix ו in the word: ואלה is to remind the reader that since the Torah had already listed the 12 sons of Yaakov, the time had come to list the descendants of Esau.

עשו הוא אדום, someone always addicted to realise all his material desires, satiate his lust. [the author interprets this as the justification for the Torah repeating this information which we had been given in already 25,30. Ed.] The overpowering desire of Esau for what attracted his eye was demonstrated when he could not remember the name “lentils” when he was tired, demanding to be given from “this red, red stuff.”