In the Scriptures we are presented with the story of Esau selling both his birthright and blessing to his brother Jacob. Although Esau's sale of his birthright is only given in a brief account, allotted only 94 words in the Hebrew text (Gen. 25:27-34), it was an event of major significance in biblical history. Through his act, all of the wonderful and important covenant promises were "in one fell swoop" transferred for all time directly from Esau's descendants, the Edomites, to Jacob's Israelite posterity.
The summer, 2011, mailing to Canadian British-Israel Association members included a well-researched study documenting the absorption of Edom into Jewry a century before Christ. Today, modern Judaism is also suffering from an Esau-like attitude of casting off their religious heritage, and is suffering religious decay as a result. An article in Jewish News (8-4-2011) reported "rising levels of secularism that...stands to bring Reform and Conservative Judaism to a state of obsolescence" (p.26). The article referred to a widespread problem of "general discontent with and resulting departure from Jewish life."