“The children struggled within her.… When she would pass the doors of Torah [study halls] … Yaakov would struggle to come out and when she passed the doors of idolatry Eisav would struggle to come out” (Rashi Bereishis 25:22).

The forces embedded within a person ... from birth dictate only where he will exercise his free choice but not the choice itself. Every person was born to be righteous. As Chazal teach “They make [the fetus] take an oath: Be righteous and do not be wicked.” (Michtav MeEliyahu p. 458)

When my neighbor moved in I was convinced that one day I’d discover her faults.

My neighbor is a wonderful kindhearted person. She has endless patience with her children and her soft tone of voice makes those around her speak softly too — it would be too incongruous to do otherwise. She’s industrious clean and tidy but not overly pedantic. She always has a good word to say about everyone and nothing ever fazes her. Nothing.

It isn’t that she tries to keep herself in check. She’s just a good person by nature. Could it be that the yetzer hara simply overlooks some people? Could it be some people are born better than others?

I was certain it couldn’t be so. And so I waited for the moment I’d finally discover the “truth” about her and wouldn’t need to be disheartened by the vast differences between us.

For a person born with many positive attributes the point where he exercises his free will is on a higher level. His part in kiddush Hashem is not simply to remain with the attributes given him but to increase his chesed and good deeds his Torah study his davening and his inner service of Hashem; reaching through his own efforts a much higher level than the one on which he was born.

For a person born with many negative attributes his part in kiddush Hashem is to fight his own nature and turn his character traits into positive ones by using them to serve Hashem for there is no character trait that cannot be used for kedushah. (ibid.)

We’re all climbing a mountain our souls filled with aspirations. Each of us is born at a different level on the mountain — some close to the peak some at the foot. Those at the bottom sometimes wonder about those distant figures higher up the slope: How can it be they never consider lying being vengeful or jealous? Look where they are! What magical force guides their steps?

Those at the bottom torment themselves in vain. Those at the top have always been there. But they too face a long difficult journey. They’re expected to climb ever higher.

Eisav’s role in kiddush Hashem was to be strong and overcome his yetzer hara. That’s why his point of free will was very low. Even in the womb he wanted to emerge whenever his mother passed by a house of avodah zarah. The Maharal explains in Gur Aryeh (Toldos 25:22) that he wanted to return “to his ilk and to his nature.” Eisav had a powerful desire for idolatry but he also had the ability to discern the truth. If he’d wanted to do so he could have overcome that instinctual drive. (ibid.)

Eisav wasn’t born wicked. That he wished to leave the womb when he passed by a house of idolatry didn’t seal his fate. Eisav’s task in life was to overcome the drive for avodah zarah. Yaakov’s task was to learn Torah and perform good deeds. They both faced equally difficult paths and both had the same odds for success. Their starting points were different but the reward that awaited them at the end of the journey could have been identical.

Eisav was born red which is a sign of bloodshed. But Dovid HaMelech was also red and he fought Hashem’s battles. Chazal say that a person who is born under the constellation of Maadim will be a murderer a doctor a thief a shochet or a mohel (Shabbos 156). A person has the ability to use his attributes for positive things such as becoming a doctor or for negative things such as murder. It all depends on his bechirah.

So don’t worry dear neighbor I’m no longer on the lookout for your failings. You might not have any after all. You may simply have been born higher up on the mountain.