What is instant gratification? When we don’t think about tomorrow, and only consider today. Right now this makes me feel good, and I don’t care that I’ll suffer tomorrow. For example, if we were to break a school rule like skipping class to go to the beach, we are not considering the fact that although we’re having a great time now, tomorrow will hurt when we are suspended or served another punishment.

This helps us understand how Esau, the older of the twins born to Rebecca, could just give up his birthright in return for a bowl of stew that Jacob was cooking.1

Esau was born first, and he therefore received this birthright. That meant that Esau was entitled to many special benefits, such as receiving a larger inheritance, receiving the merit of the priesthood, and most importantly, receiving the special blessings for a life full of goodness.

But Esau cared only about what he wanted now; there was no considering the future. His birthright that he sold was priceless, both monetarily and spiritually, and this still didn’t cause him to bat an eyelash.

We constantly face an inner struggle between having immediate gratification and thinking about tomorrow. But healthy decisions can be made only when someone lives with the awareness that his choices have a direct impact on his life. When we sacrifice short-term pleasure, and invest in our future, then we will attain true eternal pleasure and joy in this world.

  • List five of your most enjoyable activities. Are they short-term or long-term pleasures? For example, snacking on junk food would be short-term, while spending time with friends would be long-term.
  • Seeing that Esau lost out on this great privilege, what are some practical ways we can learn from him and invest in our future?
  • Why would G‑d want us to constantly fight these temptations?