Musar к Берешит 5:3

Esau ridiculed this, saying that Adam had been able to reproduce other human beings of whom the Torah testifies that they were "in His image and form," i.e. of equal or greater worth. Thereby he had restored the damage Cain had wrought (Genesis 5,3). This occurred when Shet was born, who provided the strain of mankind that survived the deluge. Esau vowed not to repeat Cain's mistake, but to ensure that no one could be sired by Isaac to replace Jacob. He particularly wanted to destroy one of the pillars supporting the universe, i.e. the Torah, which was represented by Jacob, the יושב אוהלים, the dweller in tents (a euphemism for Torah academies). On Genesis 25, 27, Rashi explains the plural as comprising the academies of Shem and Ever respectively. Esau reasoned that during the days of mourning for their father Isaac Jacob would have to interrupt his Torah study and the angel of death, Esau's guardian angel, would be able to claim him at such a time. We know from king David that the angel of death could not touch David while he was immersed in Torah study. He had to be distracted so that the angel of death could claim his soul. The Talmud relates a similar occasion when the angel of death tried to claim the soul of Rabbah. The latter had to be distracted through some tremendous noise (Baba Metzia 86).

The root of all these considerations are the four letters in the ineffable name of G–d. The four חיות described in Ezekiel's famous vision in (Ezekiel chapter one) as supporting G–d's Throne all derive from that concept. The idea underlying the four camps of the Israelites are the twelve constellations, מזלות. Six of these are viewed as "rising" and the other six as "descending." They are represented by the offerings of the princes, i.e. "six covered wagons and twelve oxen" (7,3). Nachshon, leader of the tribe of Yehudah, was the first to present his offering, on the first day of Nissan, the month which is under the zodiac sign of the lamb. The word וקרבנו, indicates that his offering was related to others. Since the Torah first mentioned the word ראשון, the problem is that the conjunctive letter ו is out of place. When we describe a "circle", (something that recurs constantly) i.e. the 12 signs of the zodiac however, there is really no such thing as "ראשון," first. The "silver bowl" mentioned in verse 13 as part of that offering represents the globe. The weight of 130 shekel given for this bowl is an allusion to the 130 years that Adam lived until he sired Seth (Genesis 5,3). The Midrash Hagadol and others have a number of interesting observations on what occurred during these 130 years. Many of these comments concern themselves with Adam spending those years atoning for the harm he had previously caused in this world. Every one of those 12 princes had his own personal considerations, as Bamidbar Rabbah 12, explains. This is why their identical offerings are listed in the Torah separately. The common denominator of their intentions was to restore the equilibrium in the world which had been upset when Adam sinned. The completion of the Tabernacle here on earth caused the establishment of the corresponding Sanctuary in the Celestial Regions. Their offerings were to correspond to the patriarchs and matriarchs who are the pillars of the universe.