מדרש אויף בראשית 27:38

Our Rabbis were taught: Three men came evasively (instead of praying in a straight-forward manner), and they were Cain, Esau and Manasseh. Cain, as it is written (Gen. 4, 13) My sin is greater than I can bear; i.e., he said before Him: "Sovereign of the Universe, is then my sin greater than that of the six hundred thousand Israelites who will sin before Thee in the future, and Thou wilt forgive them?" Esau, concerning whom it is written: (Ex. 27, 38) "Hast thou then but one blessing, my father?" And Manasseh, who at the beginning called to many gods, and only [after he had not been answered by them] finally called to the God of his parents.

Nabal also said about Esau, the wicked one who speaks one thing with his mouth and another in his heart, that in his heart he said (Genesis 27:41), "Behold, now I am old, I know not the day of my death." But with his mouth, he said (Genesis 27:1), "Behold, I am here." The Lord said to him, "You are a wicked man, you flatter your father with your words," as it is said (Genesis 27:34), "Bless me, even me also, O my father." This is what the scripture means when it says (Proverbs 26:25), "When he speaketh fair, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart." Everything that I hate, he loves, as it is said (Proverbs 6:16-19), "These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him." Another thing that Nabal said in his heart was that the Lord said to the wicked, "You think in your heart, so I will not punish you, but the sword shall enter into your heart," as it is said (Psalm 37:15), "Their sword shall enter into their own heart."

(Lev. 20:9:) “For anyone whatever who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” So too is it stated (Exod. 21:17), “He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” Solomon said (in Prov. 20:20), “[If someone] curses his father or mother, his light will go out [at the approach of darkness].” Our masters said, “Because Ham saw his father's nakedness, even though he did not utter a curse at him, he and his descendants have been alienated until the end of the whole world. How much the more so for one who does curse his father!” Scripture says (in Prov. 24:20), “For there will be no future for the evil one, the lamp of the wicked goes out.” Come and see the honoring of father and mother, how dear it is before the Holy One, blessed be He; for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not withhold the reward, either from the righteous or from the wicked. Where is it shown? From Esau the wicked. Because he honored his father, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him all this honor. R. Eleazar says, “Esau the wicked shed three tears, [one] from his right eye, one from his left eye, and the third was attached in his eye and did not run down. When? When Isaac blessed Jacob, as stated (in Gen. 27:38), ‘and Esau lifted up his voice and wept.’” Come and see how much prosperity the Holy One gave him. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 80:6), “You have fed them the bread of tears and have had them drink a shalish of tears.” Shalosh (three) is not written but shalish (a third), because there were not three (shalosh) whole ones. So if the Holy One, blessed be He, recompensed this wicked one, because he honored his father, how much the more [will He do so] in the case of one who honors his fathers and fulfills other commandments. The Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Job 41:3), “’Who has welcomed (hiqdim) Me that I should repay him; everything under the heavens is Mine’; who is this one who has advanced (hiqdim) honor to his father, and I have not given him children?” And so it says in Job (11:5-7), “O that God would speak […]; And that He would tell you the secrets of wisdom…! Would you discover the mystery of God…?” To what is Job comparable? To whoever is put in a collare,⁴²The Latin word denotes a band or chain, in particular one put around the neck of a prisoner. and said, “I know what is within the palace⁴³Lat.: palatium. of the king.” They said to him, “Free yourself from the collare, and we shall know that you are speaking the truth.” So also Job was clothed in seven kinds of boils and in need of alms, as stated (in Job 19:21), “Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has afflicted me.” And [yet] he says, “I have gotten to the bottom of the works of the Holy One, blessed be He.” Thus it is stated (in Job 23:5), “I would know words He would answer me and understand what He would say to me.” His companions said to him (in Job 11:7), “Would you discover the mystery of God…?” (Job 12:14:) “Behold, whatever He destroys will not be rebuilt, whoever He shuts in cannot be set free.” Who, after he had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and had overthrown them, who has rebuilt them? Who, after he is shut the ground in front of Korah and his assembly, can reopen it? No creature can fathom His works, as stated (in Eccl. 7:13), “See the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked?” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “In this world the people are afflicted because of the evil drive; but in the world to come I will remove the evil drive from them.”⁴⁴Above, 7:14. It is so stated (in Ezek. 36:26–27), “then I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh [and give you a heart of flesh]. And I will put My spirit within you….”