Bereshit 25:25,26 – The basis for the names Esav and Yaakov and one aspect of the treatment of the captive woman in Devarim 21:12

Bereshit 25:25 records that Esav was born red, and he had an aderet of hair all over him, and he was called Esav. How does the name Esav relate to Esav being red and/ or hairy?

Rashi (on 25:25, seemingly based on Targum Yonaton, also see Rashbam on 25:25) suggests that the basis for the name of Esav is that he was born made (the word aseh) and developed (nigmar) as his hair was like a grown up. This idea seems to be based more on the word developed then on the word made, and if true, it would imply that Esav was born with facial hair like a grown developed man has. However, 25:25 describes Esav’s hair as being like an aderet, which seems to imply that the hair was like a cloak that Esav was born covered with the hair on his back and arms (stomach, legs?), which accords with a cloak that covers a person’s body but does not cover a person’s mouth and nose, as a cloak has an opening for the face.

In a fascinating article, David Yellen (1927, pp. 453-455) notes that when Hebrew was a living language, some words which had two meanings were known by everyone who spoke the language, but after Hebrew stopped being spoken on a daily basis, only the main definition of a word was remembered, while the secondary meanings of word were forgotten. Yellin gives twenty-two examples, and one of them is the word aseh. He shows from several passages in Tanakh that the word aseh had a secondary meaning of to cover, and then he explains that the name Esav refers to him being born covered with hair.

This same idea is also relevant to understanding Devarim 21:12, which Yellin did not mention, and which records instructions how the captive woman is to be treated. Devarim 21:12 records that the nails of the captive foreign woman were to be done, asah. What does this mean? Rashi and Ibn Ezra (on 21:12) write that this means that the captive woman was to let her nails grow which would make the woman repulsive. How can the word asah, which refers to doing something, mean to let the nails grow since that is a passive action? It is also not clear how letting the nails grow for a month will make the woman repulsive since they will not grow that much.  Instead, following, Yellen's idea, the idea could be that the nails of the captured woman were to be covered, which might make her less attractive. 

Bereshit 25:26 then records that when Yaakov was born, he was holding onto the heel (ekev) of Esav, and he was called Yaakov. In this case, it seems that the name Yaakov is related to the heel, see Rashi on 25:26. Yet, then the yud in the beginning of the name is left unexplained. Cassuto (1965, p. 717) notes that variations of the name Yaakov, such as Ya-akh-qu-ub-il(um) have been found on tablets in 18th century BCE in Mesopotamia and in Egypt at around the same time when Yaakov was living. He writes that Yaakov is a short version of the term Yaakov-kel, and the name Yaakov has the meaning of a prayer that the person should go with/ follow G-d, which has the idea of a prayer that G-d should protect Yaakov. This beautiful reason for the name Yaakov, as suggested by Cassuto, might explain why the Torah continues to use the name Yaakov, even after G-d gave Yaakov the additional name of Yisrael, 35:10. 

Bibliography:

Cassuto, Umberto (1883-1951), 1965, Yaakov, in Encyclopedia Mikrait, edited by Naftali Hertz Tur-Sinai, Shmuel Yavin and Binyamin Mazer, Vol. 3, Jerusalem: Bialik Institute, pp. 716-722.

Yellin, David, 1927, Forgotten meanings of Hebrew roots in the Bible, in Jewish Studies in Memory of Israel Abrahams, New York: The Alexander Kohut Memorial Foundation, Press of the Jewish Institute of Religion, pp. 441-458.

Bereshit 26:12-33 – Yitzhak and the wells: True grit

Bereshit 26:6 records that Yitzhak went to live in Gerar, and 26:12 -14 record that he became successful in Gerar. This success led the inhabitants of Gerar, the Philistines, to be jealous of him. In the Torah the term jealousy means that a person will act in an aggressive manor to defend a perceived attempt to limit or end the person’s rights. In this case, the Philistines believed or claimed that Yitzhak’s success was taking away their right to water. Thus, the following verse, 26:15, informs us that the Philistines filled in the wells that Avraham had dug, which was an action by the Philistines to protect their water rights.

26:16 then records that the king of Gerar, Avimelekh, told Yitzhak to leave. Presumably, this was because the filling in of the wells was viewed as being insufficient by the Philistines. 

26:17 then records that Yitzhak complied with this request (order?) and moved to Nahal Gerar.

26:18 then records that Yitzhak opened the wells up that the Philistines had filled in. What was the purpose of this act as he already left the area? Also, the following verse, 26:19, records that his servants dug a well in Nahal Gerar, why did he open the wells that Philistines had filled in (26:18)? Why did his servants have to dig new wells (26:19), after he had opened up the wells of Avraham?

Sarna (1989, p. 186) explains that the new wells were found accidentally when re-digging the wells of Avraham. I find this idea difficult since most likely the wells of Avraham were in Gerar, while the new wells were in Nahal Gerar (see Rashi on 26:17). Also, I doubt that new wells would be found accidentally when just re-digging old wells.

Rashi (on 26:18) explains that Yitzhak dug the wells (mentioned in 26:18) right before he left Gerar and Rashbam, Radak and Bekhor Shor (on 26:18) point out that Yitzhak renamed the wells based on Avraham’s names to show his ownership of the wells. This suggests that Yitzhak’s digging up of the wells of Avraham as recorded in 26:18 was a protest and not for deriving water from the wells.

Yitzhak left Gerar seemingly without a fight (26:17), but either before he left or he returned to re-dig the wells without Avimelekh’s permission to show that the wells were his and not the Philistines. He knew the Philistines would not let him stay and use the water, but this was his protest against the Philistines. Thus, as the digging of the wells of Avraham did not give Yitzhak any water, he had to dig new wells, as recorded in 26:19.

The Torah continues that local shepherds disputed the first well that his servants had dug in Nahal Gerar, so they dug another well (still in Nahal Gerar?), 26:20,21. The local shepherds also fought over this well, so Yitzhak moved (the second or third time) and dug another well in a new locale, 26:21,22. Even though there is no record in the Torah of a fight over this well, Yitzhak left the area and went to Beer Sheva, 26:23. 

Why do we have to know that Yitzhak dug three wells that he abandoned? Ramban (on 26:20) writes that this section by the wells shows no credit to Yitzhak, and that really the wells symbolize the Bet ha-Mikdash. Ramban claims that by the third well there was no dispute between Yitzhak and the Philistines, and so too the third bet ha-Mikdash will also exist without strife.

I have never understood this explanation since not only do I not see any intrinsic connection between wells and the Bet ha-Mikdash, but also Yitzhak abandoned the third well, 26:23, and dug another well, 26:25,32. Does this mean that according to Ramban’s logic, the third Bet ha-Mikdash will also be abandoned (G-d forbid) and we will have to wait for the fourth Bet ha-Mikdash? Also, when Yitzhak left for Be’er Sheva after digging the third well, G-d told him not to be afraid, 26:24. This means that while the Philistines (or other people) did not fight over the third well, still there was some reason why Yitzhak was scared, and presumably this is why he abandoned the third well (see Rashbam on 26:23). According to the Ramban, does this mean that in the time of the third Bet ha-Mikdash, the people will also be in fear?

I think the point of the story of the wells is to portray Yitzhak in a very positive light. In the beginning of chapter 26, 26:2-5, G-d blessed Yitzhak and Yitzhak did his best to succeed by planting and digging wells. However, even with all his determination, he constantly had to move on and never was permanently successful. After Yitzhak moved to Beer Sheva, G-d then blessed him again, 26:24, but Yitzhak had a different response to this second blessing. He continued his work by starting to dig another well (va-yikroo, see Speiser, 1964, p. 201), but now he also built an altar and called out the name of G-d, 26:25. Not only did Yitzhak work to fulfill the blessings, but he also publicly stated his recognition of G-d. This action by Yitzhak showed his religious development and finally he had permanent success by the last well in Be'er Sheva (26:32,33). 

Within the story of Yitzhak digging wells, 26:26 records that Avimelekh, and two other Philistines came to see Yitzhak in Be'er Sheva.  Yitzhak was quite surprised by their visit, and asked them why they came to see him? They answered that they realized that Yitzhak was blessed by G-d and that they wanted to make a treaty with Yitzhak, 26:27,28,29.  26:30,31 then record that Yitzhak made a treaty with them, and then this episode ends, as 26:32,33 record how Yitzhak's servants found a well in Be'er Sheva. 

This recognition by other people that Yitzhak was blessed indicates that Yitzhak was a respected figure that people wanted to make a treaty with him. Also, it is likely that this idea is important not only for our understanding of Yitzhak, but also for the narrative concerning Esav and Yaakov. Before the events that transpired in chapter 26, we read that Esav despised the birthright of Yitzhak, 25:34. However, in chapter 27 we see that Esav was crying that he did not get Yitzhak’s blessing, 27:38. What caused this change in Esav? Maybe the treaty between Avimelekh and Yitzhak changed his attitude towards his father. Once Esav saw that other important people wanted to make a treaty with Yitzhak then he changed his evaluation of Yitzhak and wanted to get Yitzhak’s blessings.

Bibliography:

Sarna, Nahum (1923-2005), 1989, The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis, Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society.

Speiser, Ephraim Avigdor (1902-1965), 1964, Genesis: The Anchor Bible, Garden City: New York: Doubleday & Company.

Bereshit 27:11-14,19 – Why did Yaakov fool his father Yitzhak?

Bereshit 27:6-10 records that Rivka told Yaakov how he could fool Yitzhak and receive Yitzhak’s blessing instead of Esav. 27:11,12 then record that Yaakov was concerned that the plan would fail since Esav was very hairy and he apparently had smooth skin. 27:13 then records that Rivka told Yaakov not to worry that if the plan failed the blame would fall on her, which was either because she was confidant in the plan or because she was willing to take the chance that it would fail. 27:14-30 then records that Yaakov proceeded to follow Rivka’s instruction, Yaakov lied to his father and Yaakov succeeded in fooling his father Yitzhak. Why did Yaakov agree to fool his father?

One possibility is that Yaakov agreed with Rivka that it was crucial for him to receive the blessing from Yitzhak even if he was not the intended recipient of the blessing. Yet, as noted by many (see N. Leibowitz, 1976, 266-267 and Sarna, 1989, p. 262), Yaakov later suffered by his intended wife, Rahel, being switched, 29:25, and for his sons claiming that Yosef was dead, 37:32,33. In both cases the Torah connects the events to Yaakov fooling Yitzhak. After Yaakov complained to Lavan about not being married to Rahel, Lavan said that in our place we do not switch the older for the younger, 29:26, and Yaakov’s sons fooled him about Yosef by using the same animal, goats, 37:31, that he used to fool Yitzhak. Also, there is a literary connection through the word se'ir. 27:23 (also 27:11) records that Yitzhak was fooled since Yaakov’s hands/ arms were seirot, and the Torah refers to the goat that was used to fool Yaakov as being a hairy goat, se'ir izim, 37:31.

These connections indicate that Yaakov was being punished when Rahel was switched for Lea, and for thinking that Yosef was dead, and this indicates that Yaakov acted wrongly by fooling Yitzhak. Yaakov (and Rivka) should have accepted that Yitzhak would bless Esav to be the dominant brother, and let G-d determine what would actually happen. Yet, still one could claim that Yaakov (and Rivka) were mistaken that they thought that they had to act to fool Yitzhak to receive the blessings or maybe they mistakenly thought that by receiving the blessings then this would serve as some type of immunity for fooling Yitzhak.

A different possibility for why Yaakov participated in the trick on his father is that really he did not want to fool his father, but he felt compelled to listen to his mother Rivka. The Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah 65:16) seems to follow this idea.

Another possibility is that maybe Yaakov thought that he was entitled to the blessing since he bought the title of being the firstborn from Esav, 25:33. The problem with this idea is that then he should have told Yitzhak that he had bought the title of being the firstborn and was entitled to the blessings. However, he never made this claim. Also, from Esav’s statement in 27:36, it appears that being the firstborn and receiving the blessing were independent of each other. Hence, when Yitzhak summoned Esav to bless him, Yitzhak did not refer to Esav as the firstborn but as his older son, 27:2.

A fourth possibility is that Yaakov acted simply out of spite for Esav. Maybe he did not like Esav, and he knew that if he received the blessings Esav would be upset. With this idea, Yaakov was willing to fool Yitzhak to annoy Esav.

A fifth possibility is that Yaakov thought that this was another opportunity to show that it is wrong to favor one son simply because the son was born first. This is what Yaakov tried to show when he bought the title of the firstborn son (see our discussion on Bereshit 25:29-34, “Code red”), and Yaakov would demonstrate this belief in the end of his life when he placed his right hand on Efrayim instead of Menashe, 48:14.

In this case and when Yaakov bought the title of the firstborn son, it appears that Yaakov did not plan to point out the unfairness of the concept of the firstborn, but when the opportunity presented itself, he jumped on it. In this case, it is not just that Yaakov, the younger son receives the blessing, but the crucial aspect was for Yaakov to receive the blessings first before Esav. Yaakov knew that Yitzhak and Esav would figure out that he had fooled Yitzhak, but then they would also realize that it was unfair or even ridiculous that one son should receive the blessings just because Yitzhak said the blessings first in front of one son before the second son arrived. This is the same idea that it is wrong that the firstborn child is favored simply because he was born first.

The Torah gives a clue that there is a connection between Yaakov receiving the blessing first and the birth of Esav and Yaakov though the double word ya-so yasa in 27:30, which records that after Yitzhak finished blessing Yaakov, Yaakov left Yitzhak, and Esav came back from his hunting. These are the same words in 25:25,26, which record that Esav first left Rivka’s womb (was born first) and then Yaakov left the womb afterwards. When Yaakov left Yitzhak after Yitzhak’s blessing there is a reversal of the births of Esav and Yaakov, as at the time of their births, Yaakov went out from his mother after Esav, while by Yitzhak’s blessing, Yaakov left his father before Esav.

An indication that Yaakov participated in the deceit of Yitzhak to show the silliness of the firstborn title can be seen from the word me-tateah in 27:12. In this verse, Yaakov is telling Rivka what Yitzhak will think if Yitzhak figures out that Yaakov was trying to impersonate Esav to get the blessings. It is well known that when a person projects the thoughts of somebody else, then this hints what the person is actually thinking. In this case, Yaakov said that Yitzhak will think that Yaakov is me-tateah. What does this word mean? Rabbenu Saadiah Gaon (on 27:12, also Benno Jacob, 1974, p. 179) explains the word as mocking. Yaakov was worried that Yitzhak would think that Yaakov was mocking him. We do not see that Yaakov mocked his father, but Yaakov’s thoughts about what his father was thinking, shows that he was participating in this deception to mock. He was not intending to mock his father, but to mock the idea that just because a person is born first or receives the blessing first, then that person should be blessed.

Based on this idea, I imagine that when Yaakov told his father, that he was Esav the firstborn, 27:19, he was laughing inside. Yaakov did not have say the word firstborn, as he could have just said that he was Esav. Instead, Yaakov might have imagined to himself that all he had to do to become the firstborn was to wear some clothing, and say that he was the firstborn son. This shows again how silly is the idea that a person is treated more special since he is born first. 

Even with this rationale, Yaakov should not have participated in the deceit of his father, but we can understand why he did it. This moral issue of repudiating the special status of the firstborn sons was so important to him, that he could not grasp that it was wrong to fool his father and that fooling his father would pain his father. Also, he would not have been bothered that his actions would be very upsetting to Esav. A similar issue would arise by Yosef that he was so determined to have his dreams fulfilled that he was unaware of the pain it was causing Yaakov that he did not contact Yaakov after he became a ruler in Egypt. This would then be anther way that Yaakov was punished measure for measure for fooling Yitzhak.

Bibliography:

Jacob, Benno (1869-1945), 1974, The first book of the bible: Genesis, commentary abridged, edited and translated by Earnest I. Jacob and Walter Jacob, Hoboken City, NJ: Ktav Publishing House.

Leibowitz, Nehama (1905-1997), 1976, Studies in Bereshit, translated by Aryeh Newman, Jerusalem: The World Zionist Organization.

Sarna, Nahum (1923-2005), 1989, The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis, Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society.

Bereshit 25:28; 27:3,4,25,27,33 – Yitzhak and Esav: Love the hunter

בראשית כה:כח - ויאהב יצחק את עשו כי ציד בפיו ורבקה אהבת את יעקב. 

Bereshit 25:28 records that Yitzhak loved/favored Esav, and the Torah explains that this favoritism was because of the "game in his mouth." Who does the phrase “his mouth” refer to: Esav’s mouth or Yitzhak’s mouth? Also, how does the "game in the mouth" explain Yitzhak's love/ favoritism of Esav?

Rashi (on 25:28) quotes two explanations. One, the phrase "game in his mouth," refers to game in the mouth of Yitzhak that Esav regularly brought Yitzhak food that he got from hunting, and Yitzhak loved Esav due to these gifts of food. This explanation is difficult for two reasons. One, Yitzhak desired to eat mataamin, 27:4,7, which is meat after it had been seasoned and cooked. Rivka when she helped Yaakov to trick Yitzhak said that she would prepare mataamin for Yitzhak, 27:9,14,17, and when Esav came to Yitzhak to be blessed, Esav stated that he brought the mataamin, 27:31. We see that Yitzhak did not like raw meat. Two, is food really the reason why a father would favor one son over another?

Rashi's second explanation of 25:28 is from the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah 63:10) that the phrase his mouth in 25:28 is referring to Esav's mouth, as Esav tricked Yitzhak by his speech that Yitzhak would think that Esav was a loving son. Following this idea, S. R. Hirsch (1989, p. 427) suggests that the phrase "game in his mouth," could mean that Esav "enthralled Yitzhak with tales of adventures and deeds of derring-do at his hunting," and that Esav's "lusty active nature" appealed to Yitzhak.

Ibn Ezra (on 25:28, see also Altar, 2004, p. 130) explains that the phrase "game in his mouth," refers to Esav’s mouth that Esav would literally bring home some of his hunt in his mouth, like an animal, a wild animal. We see this uncouth behavior again when he demands the soup from Yaakov, 25:30, "let me gulp down some of this red red stuff," (Altar, 2004, p. 131, translation). With this understanding, the Torah is presenting a grotesque portrayal of Esav from the beginning of the story.

Why would Yitzhak love Esav because Esav had game in his mouth? My thought is that Yitzhak's love of Esav was due to the oracle that Rivka heard from G-d about her sons, 25:23. The third phrase in the oracle was that one brother would be mightier than the other, and presumably the mightier of the two would be the dominant brother. Yitzhak believed that the dominant brother was going to be Esav since he thought that Esav the hunter would dominate Yaakov, the one who sat in tents, 25:27. For Yitzhak, Esav's uncouth behavior was an indication that Esav was destined to be the dominant brother. Could such an uncouth successful hunter lose a physical brawl to a person who lived in the tents? Hence, it was Esav's behavior of having game in his mouth that led Yitzhak to love him since he thought it indicated that Esav was the blessed son by G-d. Note, Yitzhak was correct that the brothers would have a physical fight to determine who would be the dominant brother, 32:22-32, see our discussion on the verses, Who fought with Yaakov?, just that he was incorrect who would win the fight.

This idea is based on the understanding that Rivka told Yitzhak the oracle, which is very reasonable, and this is indicated by the blessing that Yitzhak intended to give Esav but gave to Yaakov by mistake. 27:29 records that as part of the blessing, Yitzhak stated that Yaakov would be “the master of his brother,” and that “your mother’s son would bow down to you.” After Esav asked for another blessing, Yitzhak said there was no other blessing since he had blessed Yaakov that he would be Esav’s master, 27:37. The most Yitzhak was able to bless Esav was that Esav would be able to break free from Yaakov’s rule, 27:40. If the blessing was for material goods, then Yitzhak could have also blessed Esav for material goods. Accordingly, the main blessing that Yitzhak had intended for Esav was to bless Esav that he was to be the dominant brother. Note, this blessing was unrelated to the covenantal blessing in 28:3,4, see our discussion on 28:3,4, "Endogamy"

It is strange for a father to bless one son to be dominant over another son. Why not bless both sons? It is true that a king picks one son to be his successor, but here there was no kingdom to be ruled. Instead, Yitzhak gave this blessing for one brother to be dominant because he knew that the oracle had stated that one brother would be mightier and dominate the other.

This understanding of 25:28 is also based on the idea that the oracle did not have a single undisputed interpretation. While many people understand the oracle as meaning the elder (Esav) would serve the younger (Yaakov), as pointed out by the Radak (on 25:23, also see Alter, 2004, p. 129) the oracle could also be understood, that Yaakov was to serve Esav, "the elder, the younger shall serve." Thus, Yitzhak attempted to infer who was to be the mightier dominant son of the oracle by their actions, and his mind it was obvious that Esav was to be the dominant son.

This idea that Yitzhak loved Esav since he thought that Esav was going to be the dominant son since he was a hunter who was also very uncouth can explain several verses in chapter 27. 27:3,4 (also see 27:25,33) record that Yitzhak requested from Esav to go hunting and to prepare the meat in order that he would bless Esav. Why was it necessary for Esav to go hunting to receive the blessing? The answer is that Esav's ability to hunt was an indication to Yitzhak that Esav was destined to be the dominant brother, and Yitzhak wanted this "proof" prior to giving the blessing. This proof for Yitzhak was stronger than his disappointment in Esav for Esav’s choice of wives, 26:35.

27:27 records that when Yitzhak smelled Yaakov's clothing (thinking that they were Esav's), immediately prior to reciting the blessing intended for Esav, Yitzhak said "See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that (asher) G-d has blessed," (Fox, 1995, p. 125, translation). This verse is usually understood to mean that Yitzhak is noting how G-d has blessed the fields, but why should a blessing of the fields be relevant at this particular time? The Bekhor Shor (on 27:27) explains that the phrase means that Yitzhak was saying that Esav had been blessed by G-d and the proof was that G-d had helped him hunt successfully so quickly. Or, Yitzhak all along thought that Esav's prowess as a hunter (that his smell was the smell of the field, see also 25:27) was a sign that Esav had been blessed by G-d, and Yitzhak was then saying that since G-d had blessed Esav, he too was going to bless Esav. With this reading, the last three words of 27:27 are somewhat separate from the previous words, the word, asher, translated above as that should be translated as who, the phrase then is “Who G-d has blessed,” and the phrase refers to Esav, who Yitzhak thought was blessed by G-d.

Finally, after Yitzhak learned that he had been tricked by Yaakov, he said that Yaakov was still to be blessed, 27:33. Maybe Yitzhak said this because he thought that blessings could not be rescinded or maybe he said this because he was somewhat impressed with Yaakov that Yaakov was able to trick him. Previously, Yitzhak thought that for sure Esav, the uncouth hunter, was destined to be the dominant brother, but maybe after Yaakov tricked him, he realized that Yaakov could be the mightier brother.

25:19 – The elleh toledot unit of Yitzhak

25:19 records elleh toledot Yitzhak the son of Avraham, Avraham begot Yitzhak. The end of this verse is surprising since after the Torah records that Yitzhak was the son of Avraham in the beginning of the verse, why does the Torah need to record that Avraham fathered Yitzhak in the end of the verse?

Several answers have been suggested to explain the end of 25:19. Rashi (on 25:19, based on Baba Metzia 87a) explains that the end of the verse is to stress that Yitzhak was Avraham’s son since he looked like Avraham, and not Avimelekh’s son as claimed by cynics. Ibn Ezra (on 25:19) quotes this idea and adds that maybe the point of the verse is to tell us that Avraham raised Yitzhak. Ramban (on 25:19) suggests that the end of the verse is telling us that only Yitzhak and not Avraham’s other children should be considered Avraham’s successor.

While all of these suggestions are possible, my guess is that the phrase, “Avraham begot Yitzhak,” is recorded as part of the elleh toledot structure of the book of Bereshit, see above our discussion "Introduction: The structure of the book of Bereshit" https://lobashamayim.blogspot.com/2009/10/structure-of-book-of-bereshit.html

Verse 25:19 is an example of a verse that begins a lengthy elleh toledot narrative section of the book of Bereshit, as does 11:27 and 37:2. 25:19 records elleh toledot of Yitzhak, and the section proceeds to recount the story of Yitzhak’s son, Yaakov. This is also the pattern of 11:27, which records the phrase elleh toledot Terah and the ensuing section recounts the story of Terah’s son, Avraham, and 37:2, which record the phrase elleh toledot Yaakov and the ensuing section recounts the story of Yaakov’s son, Yosef.

Even when the phrase elleh toledot begins a lengthy narrative section, still the section is framed from a genealogical perspective. Thus, the lengthy narrative elleh toledot sections begin with a genealogical reference to of a child or children of the person referred to in the heading, and end with the death of the child. For example, 11:27 records elleh toledot Terah, and then records that Terah begot Avram, Nahor and Haran, and fourteen chapters later, the section ends with Avraham’s death, 25:8-11. 37:2 records elleh toledot Yaakov and that Yosef was 17 years old, and the section ends with Yosef’s death, 50:26.

Our elleh toledot section, also begins with genealogical details. It mentions that Yitzhak was the son of Avraham (the first half of 25:19) and then it records the birth of Yitzhak’s children, 25:20-26. The statement that Yitzhak was Avraham’s son, which is known from 21:2,3, was because this was a new toledot section, and genealogical information is repeated in a new toledot section, as for example by Noah’s sons 5:32 and 6:10 and by Terah’s sons 11:26,27. However, in contrast to the other lengthy toledot sections, this elleh toledot section ends with the death of Yitzhak, 35:28,29, and not with the deaths of Yitzhak’s children, Yaakov or Esav. I believe that this anomaly explains the need for the phrase “Avraham begot Yitzhak” in the second half of 25:19.

The elleh toledot section of Yitzhak should have ended with the death of Yaakov following the usual pattern in Bereshit that the section ends with the death of son of the person referred in the elleh toledot phrase. However, Yaakov could not die at the end of the section of elleh toledot Yitzhak since he also plays a crucial part in the story of Yosef, the following section. Accordingly, somebody else had to die at the end of the toledot section to maintain the genealogical framework of the elleh toledot structure, and this person was Yitzhak. Yet, if Yitzhak’s death ended the section, then the section has to start with his birth. Thus, the phrase, “Avraham begot Yitzhak,” is recorded in 25:19 to mark Yitzhak’s birth, which enables his death to end the section.

If the toledot section starts with Yitzhak’s birth and ends with his death, then why was the section not titled elleh toledot Avraham? This would follow the rule that the death of the person who ends the toledot section is the son of the person in the phrase elleh toledot. The answer is that the son of the person in the phrase elleh toledot is also the main character of the section, and Yitzhak is not the main character of the section from 25:19-35:29, as Yaakov is the main character of the section. Therefore, the section begins elleh toledot Yitzhak, which means the main character in the section will be Yitzhak's son, Yaakov, but as Yitzhak’s death ends the section, his birth also begins the section, which is the phrase, “Avraham begot Yitzhak.” Yitzhak’s birth and death are then the genealogical markers to this elleh toledot section from 25:19 through 35:29.

Bereshit 25:29-34 – Yaakov's sale of soup to Esav: Code red

Bereshit 25:29,30 record that Yaakov was boiling some type of soup and Esav asked to have some since he was weak. This would appear to be a reasonable request from one brother to another, but Yaakov gave the surprising answer that he wanted Esav to sell him the birthright for the soup, 25:31. Esav agreed to this deal since he stated that he was on the verge of dying, and if he was dead, then there was no point to having the birthright, 25:32. This agreement was not enough for Yaakov. He made Esav swear to ensure that Esav would not back out of the deal, and when Esav agreed to swear, then Yaakov gave Esav the soup, 25:33,34. The episode ends with a note by the Torah, that Esav despised the birthright, 25:34. Why did Yaakov not freely give the soup to Esav? What did he buy when he bought the birthright? What is the significance of this transaction? Was this just another example of their fights (see comments by David Hoffmann, 1969)?

One approach (see Samet, 2004, pp. 111-113) is that the birthright signified who was to receive the blessings from Yitzhak. This approach explains why Yaakov wanted the birthright since he wanted to receive the blessings and also the significance of this episode, that Yaakov was truly the brother who should have received the blessings of Yitzhak. With this idea, Yaakov thought that he had to get Esav to sell the birthright even if it meant taking advantage of Esav.

This approach is difficult. Why would Esav despise the birthright if it implied which brother was to be blessed? Was he really so reckless? Even if Esav was impulsive, it seems that both of the participants to the deal did not believe that their transaction related to the blessings. When Yitzhak attempted to bless Esav, Yaakov never attempted to stake his “rightful” claim that he had bought the birthright and instead he pretended to be Esav. Also, after Yitzhak was tricked, Esav stated that Yaakov had deceived him twice, once by the birthright and once by the blessings, 27:36. This duality implies that Esav viewed the birthright and the blessings as two separate issues.

A second approach is that the sale of the birthright relates to the financial question who would inherit the family wealth. One variant of this approach is that while Yaakov should have generously given the soup to Esav, he did not take advantage of Esav since Esav, the great hunter, was not really on the verge of dying, was of sound mind at the time of the transaction and valued the soup as being equal to the value of having the birthright. How could this be? Ibn Ezra (on 25:34) argues that Yitzhak was poor and hence there was no expected gain from having the birthright. With this approach, the importance of the episode is not the inheritance itself, which is never mentioned again, but to show Esav’s character that because he was impulsive he was not worthy of Yitzhak’s blessing.

This approach also raises many questions. Was Yitzhak really poor? The Ramban (on 25:34) rejects the idea that Yitzhak was poor. If Yitzhak was poor, and the expected inheritance was truly a pittance, why did Yaakov want the birthright? Did Yaakov foresee Yitzhak becoming wealthy while Esav did not? If Esav really believed that the expected value of the inheritance was worthless, then how does his actions indicate that he was not worthy to receive the blessings? Also, could the inheritance have been so little that its expected value was equal to the value of the soup which Esav devoured in a few minutes? Furthermore, even if Esav was impulsive, is impulsiveness a reason to be disqualified from receiving the blessings of Yitzhak?

Another possibility within this second approach is that the birthright had no financial relevance because Esav was still legally the firstborn even after the sale, and then Yaakov did not take advantage of Esav since he did not gain anything tangible from the sale. Instead, the sale just signaled which brother had a greater connection to the family. Yaakov’s purchased the birthright to show his desire to be part of the family, especially to be closer with his father. (This would accord with the Or Hachayyim's suggestion, on 25:29, that Yaakov was cooking the soup to give to Yitzhak.)

On the other hand, Esav was willing to sell the birthright for almost nothing since he did not value being part of the family, even though his father loved him greatly. A proof for this idea is the note in 25:34 that Esav despised the birthright, which would mean according to this approach that he despised his family. With this idea, the significance of the transaction was that the sale showed that Esav was not worthy of receiving Yitzhak's blessing since he did not want to part of the family, similar to his marriages outside the family, 26:34.

However, one might maintain that Esav really thought that he was on the verge of dying and he only despised the birthright after he sold it. This would be similar to the story of sour grapes, that when a person cannot get something then he disparages it. Also, later, he claimed that Yaakov tricked him out of the birthright, 27:36, which implies that he did not willfully relinquish the birthright, though maybe this statement was due to his later regret after having made the sale.

A third approach is that Yaakov sold the soup in order to rectify what he perceived as an injustice in the world. Yaakov was fighting the idea that the firstborn should receive greater honor or rights solely because he was born first, which in this case of twins, was just a few minutes. (Presumably, their "struggle" in Rivka's womb was to see who would come out first, and Yaakov was holding Esav's heel to symbolize his effort to be the firstborn, 25:22,26.) By selling the soup for the birthright, Yaakov was mocking the value of being firstborn, as he showed that it was worth just a bowl of soup.

A variation on this third approach is that Esav bragged about being the firstborn, and Yaakov though that this was doubly unfair. Thus, when Esav came home famished, Yaakov saw his chance to protest against this injustice and stop Esav from bragging.

Is there any evidence that Esav bragged about being the firstborn? 25:34 records that Esav called the soup the red, red, which is bizarre. Robert Alter (2004, p.131) writes, "although the Hebrew of the dialogues in the Bible reflect the same level of normative literary language as the surrounding narrative, here the text comes close to assigning substandard Hebrew to the rude Esav." Why did Esav not refer to the food as soup or red just once? What is the significance of the double reference to the color red?

In addition, 25:34 records that Esav was called Edom. The usual explanation of the name Edom is that it was due to this transaction that he used the double term red as part of the transaction. This understanding is based on the idea that everybody learned about this transaction. Yet, it seems that Yitzhak only learned of this transaction after he blessed Yaakov by mistake, see Rashi on 27:36.

My thought is that Esav was particularly fond of the color red, and his fondness for the color red in general caused others to call him Edom. This incident would then be one example of Esav always referring to the color red, and the word "therefore" in 25:30 is referring to his general pattern of referring to the color red and not specifically to the case here. (See Yehuda Keel, 2000, p. 231, footnote 57, who quotes an interesting suggestion from Baal ha-Deyukim(?), that Esav called himself Edom unrelated to this sale.)

Independent of whether this incident is the source of Esav being called Edom, why did he have an affinity for the color red? The answer is that when he was born he was ruddy, 25:25, and the color red was his code that he was the firstborn. Here he referred to the soup twice as red, and Yaakov understood that he was bragging about being the firstborn and possibly, he was even demanding the soup because he was the firstborn. This ticked off Yaakov, and then, and only then, he came up with the idea of demanding that Esav sell him the firstborn, which meant that Esav could no longer brag about being the firstborn to Yaakov. According to this approach, Yaakov did take advantage of Esav by the sale, but it was to stop Esav from bragging about being the firstborn.

With either variation of the third approach, the importance of this story is that this is another example of the fight against the firstborn status in the book of Bereshit. This is the pattern in Bereshit, starting with Kayin and Hevel (chapter 4) and ending with Efrayim and Menashe (chapter 48), that the older brother is not intrinsically superior to the younger brother.

Bibliography:

Alter, Robert, 2004, The five books of Moses: A translation and commentary, New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

Hoffmann, David Tzvi (1843-1921), 1969, Commentary on Genesis, Bnei Brak: Nezach.

Keel, Yehuda, 2000, Commentary on Bereshit: Da'at Mikra, Three volumes, Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.

Samet, Elhanan, 2004, Studies in the weekly parasha, second series, Hebrew, Jerusalem: Hemed.

Bereshit 26:6-11(Toledot) - Wives and Sisters III

Bereshit 26:6-11 records that Yitzhak tried to conceal his marriage by claiming that his wife Rivka was his sister, but the ruse was revealed when Avimelekh, the ruler of the Philistines, saw them acting as man and wife. This is the only time this ploy is mentioned by Yitzhak, yet this incident is very similar to the two times that Avraham and Sara also tried to conceal their marriage, 12:10-20 and 20:1-18 (see our discussion on Bereshit 20:1,2 "The second abduction of Sara"). In all three cases, the patriarch attempted to conceal his marriage by claiming his wife was a sister, the ruler of the area castigated the patriarch, and the motive for the ploy as proclaimed by the patriarch was to protect his life. However, this incident is significantly different than the other two cases, since here Rivka was not abducted while Sara had been abducted twice. Therefore, here G-d did not have to intervene to save the matriarch and no presents are given to Yitzhak and Rivka.

Why would Yitzhak have tried to conceal his marriage by claiming to be Rivka’s brother when the ploy had failed twice by Avraham? S. R. Hirsch (1989, p. 432) points out that the danger to Yitzhak and Rivka was real since after Avimelekh learned that they were married, Avimelekh felt it was necessary to decree a death penalty for anybody who harmed them, 26:11. However, after what happened to Sara his mother, could Yitzhak really believe that this ploy was offering greater protection to Rivka than if they stated that they were man and wife? I believe there are four possible answers.

One, possibility is based on the Ramban's (12:11) idea that really Avraham and Sara used this ploy all the time and Torah only mentioned the two times it failed. If this is true, then Yitzhak was following the percentages, the plan usually worked.

A second possibility is that Yitzhak copied his father indiscriminately. The idea being that if it was good enough for my father, it is good enough for me.  Possibly Yitzhak thought of his father with such awe that he could not recognize that the ploy was a bad idea.

A third possibility is that maybe Yitzhak did not know what happened to his parents. Both cases occurred before he was born and parents do not always inform their children about all of their deeds. Maybe Avraham and Sara thought it was better that Yitzhak did not know that Sara had twice been abducted. For example, Ramban (on 26:1) suggests that Yitzhak wanted to go to Egypt since he thought that his father had been honored there! If this was true, then Yitzhak only knew that Pharaoh gave Avraham presents but not the real reason for the presents.

A fourth possibility is that Yitzhak might have thought that everything that Avraham had done was because of G-d’s command, and this would include Avraham and Sara concealing their marriage by pretending to be brother and sister when they were in Egypt and in Gerar. Yitzhak might have come to this conclusion from the blessings he received prior to this incident, where G-d ended these blessings by saying that the blessings were because Avraham had listened to G-d’s voice, 26:2-5. If Yitzhak thought that Avraham had concealed his marriage due to G-d's command, then the failure of the ploy in the previous cases was irrelevant, and he and Rivka would also conceal their marriage when in Gerar.

Bibliography:

Hirsch, S. R. (1808-1888), 1989, The Pentateuch, rendered into English by Isaac Levy, second edition, Gateshead: Judaica Press.

Bereshit 25:23 (Toledot) – Did the all the aspects in the oracle told to Rivka occur?

בראשית כה:כג - ויאמר ה' לה "שני גיים בבטנך ושני לאמים ממעיך יפרדו ולאם מלאם יאמץ ורב יעבד צעיר." 

Bereshit 25:23 records the oracle told to Rivka when she was pregnant about the future of her children, who would be Yaakov and Esav. The oracle consists of one verse in the Torah, and within the verse, there are four elements or parts to the oracle. The first two elements are that there were two nations in Rivka’s womb and that these two nations would separate. While it is not exactly clear what this separation entailed, these statements were actualized with the emergence of the Jewish people and Edom who lived in different areas, and only the Jewish people made a covenant with G-d. The third element of the oracle, uleom muleom yeamtaz, people over people shall prevail (Alter 2004, p. 129, translation) was actualized by the fight between Yaakov and Esav, 32:25-30. The fourth and final line of the oracle is ve-rav yaavod tzair, which refers to Rivka’s eldest son (Esav) and younger son (Yaakov) serving or working. Was this line ever actualized?

The traditional understanding of the fourth element in the oracle is that the phrase means that Esav was destined to serve Yaakov. Based on this understanding, Ibn Ezra (on 25:23 and on 27:40), quotes Rabbenu Saadiah Gaon that the oracle was fulfilled when Esav left the land of Canaan and went to Seir, 36:6. However, Ibn Ezra rejects this possibility since 33:3 records that Yaakov bowed down to Esav seven times, which suggests that it was Yaakov who was serving Esav. I doubt that this bowing down by Yaakov was that significant since afterwards, Yaakov declined Esav's offer to follow him to Seir, 33:12,13 which shows that Yaakov did not view himself as being subservient to Esav. Note, while this bowing down could have been to show that Yaakov was “giving” Yitzhak’s blessings back to Esav, this would not necessarily mean that he viewed himself as being subservient to Esav. Accordingly, maybe R. Saadiah Gaon is correct since when Esav left the land of Israel this was showing that he was subservient to Yaakov. Yet, one could claim that when Esav was in Seir and Yaakov lived in Canaan, both were living independent of each other and not serving one or the other.

Radak (on 25:23) notes that the fourth aspect of the oracle can be understood in two ways, that Esav will serve Yaakov, or that Yaakov will serve Esav. Furthermore, he claims that both interpretations were fulfilled, but not in the lifetimes of Yaakov and Esav. He suggests that the interpretation that Esav would serve Yaakov was fulfilled when David conquered Edom, Samuel II 8:14, and the interpretation that Yaakov would serve Esav was fulfilled when the Christians ruled over the Jews since Chazal view Rome as being the descendants of Esav and Christianity as being the successor to the Romans. I doubt this historical approach since the oracle should refer to events in the Torah and not afterwards, and in this case, it appears that the oracle relates specifically to Rivka's children.

A third possibility to understanding the fourth element of the oracle is to combine the views of the Radak in the second approach with Ibn Ezra’s view discussed in the first approach. This combination would follow the Radak’s idea that the fourth element of the oracle could be understood to mean that Yaakov would serve Esav, and then one can follow the Ibn Ezra’s idea that when Yaakov bowed down to Esav seven times, this showed that Yaakov was being subservient to Esav. My problem with this possibility is that as mentioned above, I think Yaakov’s bowing down was a formality and did not indicate that he was subservient to Esav, and my impression is that the correct understanding of the fourth element of the oracle is the traditional approach that Esav would serve Yaakov.

A fourth possibility to understanding the fourth element of the oracle is that the oracle was conditional. Thus, Rav Huna (Bereshit Rabbah 63:7) argues that the oracle was conditional, that if Yaakov was worthy, Esav would serve him, but if he was not worthy then he would serve Esav. This idea would be similar to the prophecy told to Yonah, who told the people of Ninveh, that in forty days the city would be overthrown, Jonah 3:4, and the city was not destroyed. One could vary this idea, that if Yaakov was not worthy, then the prophecy would not occur at all. Accordingly, maybe since Yaakov stole the blessings, then the last element of the oracle was not fulfilled. However, the oracle seems unconditional unlike by Yonah where the point of the prophecy was to be a warning.

A fifth possibility is that maybe the fourth element of the oracle was fulfilled when Esav went to Edom, but Edom was not serving Yaakov by leaving the land of Israel. Devarim 2:22 records that Esav captured the land of Seir, and the land of Seir was called Edom apparently after Esav's other name Edom. Yet, when Bereshit 36:31-39 records a list of kings of Edom, neither Esav nor his sons appear in the land. Esav conquered the land, but he was not king. Instead, somebody else, who surely from Esav's perspective was a “Johnny come lately” became king. Thus, Esav and/ or his descendants had to serve this king, who from his perspective was his junior. Note, 25:23 does not record the words "the younger," implying Yaakov, but "younger," which could be anybody who was younger. This idea could also explain why the Torah records these kings, see our discussion on Chapter 36, “The rise and fall of Esav.”

According to this fifth approach, Rivka understood correctly that the older son, Esav was to do the serving, but she misunderstood who he was to serve. This is very common in literature that the oracle is only understood in the end of the story. Furthermore, maybe she was not given the correct interpretation as a punishment for asking about the future (see Rashi on 25:22) which was an inappropriate question.

I think the last phrase of the oracle is referring specifically to Esav and Yaakov and not to Esav's descendants. Thus, we are left that either the oracle was not completely fulfilled (see Benno Jacob, 174, p. 167) or R. Saadiah Gaon's approach.

Bibliography:

Alter, Robert, 2004, The five books of Moses: A translation and commentary, New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

Jacob, Benno (1869-1945), 1974, The first book of the bible: Genesis: Commentary abridged, edited and translated by Earnest I. Jacob and Walter Jacob, New York: Ktav Publishing House.   

Bereshit 27:1-4 – Yitzhak's fear of imminent death prior to wanting to bless Esav

Bereshit 27:1-4 records that Yitzhak told Esav that he wanted to bless him before he died. This fear of death is a little surprising since we know that Yitzhak lived at least another 20 years, as Yaakov saw Yitzhak after he had been away from home for 20 years, 35:27. Of course, there is no reason to believe that Yitzhak knew that he would live 20 more years, as who knows when they are going to die? Yet, was there a specific reason that led Yitzhak to fear his imminent death? 

Rashi (on 27:2) quotes from the Midrash that Yitzhak was 123 and thus he was within five years of his mother's death. (Rashi's calculation is based on the Midrash that Yaakov studied at the school of Ever for 14 years after he left home, see his comments on 25:17.) 

Radak (on 27:1) suggests that it was the onset of blindness that caused Yitzhak to fear that he would die shortly. 

There is another possibility. If Yaakov did not study at the school of Ever, then Yitzhak was 137 at the time when he wanted to bless Esav.   Yitzhak was 137 since immediately after Yaakov stole the blessings intended for Esav, Yaakov left for Paddan-aram, 27:43, and Yaakov was 77 when he came to Paddan-aram (47:9, 45:11, 41:46, 30:25; 130-9-30-14=77). We also know that Yitzhak was 60 when Yaakov was born, 25:26, which means that Yitzhak was 137 (60 + 77) when he wanted to bless Esav. 137 years was significant to Yitzhak since this was the age when Yitzhak's older half-brother Yishmael died, 25:17. Thus, when Yitzhak was 137, he feared that his death was imminent. 

Bereshit 27:41– Esav creating an alibi to enable him to kill Yaakov

Bereshit 27:41 records that Esav said in his heart that he would only kill Yaakov after Yitzhak died. I understand that the phrase “speaking to the heart” means talking out loud to one’s self since otherwise how could Rivka have known that Esav wanted to kill Yaakov. Yet, why did Rivka send away Yaakov immediately, 27:43, if Esav only threatened to kill Yaakov after Yitzhak died? What was the great urgency?

Esav had a problem since he wanted both to kill Yaakov and to get the blessings. However, if he killed Yaakov when Yitzhak was alive then there was a good probability that Yitzhak would not be willing to bless him. But, he was not willing to wait for Yitzhak to die to take his revenge on Yaakov, and hence he decided to set up an alibi that would exonerate him from being a suspect if Yaakov had an "untimely" death. The alibi was that he started the rumor that he was only going to take revenge after Yitzhak died, and then he could kill Yaakov without being a suspect. Rivka realized that Esav really intended to kill Yaakov at his first chance without waiting for Yitzhak to die, and hence she immediately sent Yaakov away to her family to protect him from Esav.

Bereshit 28:3,4 (Toledot) – Yitzhak's second blessing to Yaakov: Endogamy

בראשית כח: ג,ד "וקל שקי יברך אתך ויפרך וירבך והיית לקהל עמים. ויתן לך את ברכת אברהם לך ולזרעך אתך לרשתך את ארץ מגריך אשר נתן אלקים לאברהם."

Bereshit 28:3,4 record that Yitzhak blessed Yaakov a second time when sending Yaakov away to Haran to marry. Why did Yitzhak bless Yaakov twice? Why was first blessing not sufficient? Why did he not combine the blessings, and give both at the same time? Also, Yitzhak seems to have been angry with Yaakov for fooling him, as he told Esav that Yaakov deceived him, 27:34, so why would Yitzhak give Yaakov a second blessing? Finally, after Esav learned that Yaakov had received the blessing that he was supposed to receive he asked Yitzhak for another blessing, and Yitzhak said that he had no other blessing to give, 27:34-37. Why did Yitzhak not give Esav, the second blessing that he gave to Yaakov?

One approach is that the second blessing was to confirm the first blessing. For example, Sarna (1989, p. 195) writes, “by this act (the second blessing), Yitzhak confirms Yaakov’s title to the birthright independently of the deception.” Similarly, Robert Alter (2004, p. 147) argues, “Yitzhak, whatever misgivings he may have about Yaakov’s act of deception, knows that his younger son has irrevocably received the blessing, and he has no choice but to reiterate it at the moment of parting.” Yet, the second blessing appears to be completely different than the first blessing. The first blessing relates to which brother would be dominant, while the second blessings relates to the blessing of Avraham. How could the second blessing confirm the first blessing if it is not related to the first blessing?

Cassuto (1990, p. 208) suggest a second approach. This approach minimizes the significance of the second blessing. Cassuto writes that the second blessing was specific to the trip that Yaakov was about to embark on. Yaakov was going to find a wife, so Yitzhak gave him a blessing that he would have children, and as Yaakov was leaving the land of Israel, Yitzhak blessed him that he would return to the land. However, the second blessing seems to be more than just good wishes before the trip, as Yitzhak blessed Yaakov that he should receive the blessing that G-d gave to Avraham.

A third approach is that the two blessings were independent from each other. The first blessing was a material blessing, and the second blessing was a spiritual blessing. With this approach, Yitzhak intended to give the first blessing to Esav, while the second blessing was for Yaakov, see Hirsch 1989, p. 444, Luzzatto on 27:1, Netziv introduction to chapter 27 and on 27:19, and N. Leibowitz, 1976, pp. 275-279.  Accordingly, even after Yaakov received the first (material) blessing he also had to receive the second (spiritual) blessing.  

This approach makes Yitzhak’s desire to give Esav the blessing in chapter 27 more understandable, but makes Rivka and Yaakov's actions even more problematic as now they tricked Yitzhak to get a material blessing. Moreover, I think this approach is based on a selective reading of the first blessing. While the first part of the first blessing refers to material possessions, 27:28, the second part of the first blessing, 27:29, refers to which brother would be dominant. In addition, when Esav asked Yitzhak for another blessing, 27:37, Yitzhak responded that once Yaakov had become the dominant brother there was nothing else he could give to him, and all Yitzhak could do was to try and limit Yaakov's dominance, 27:40. We see that the point of the blessings was would be the dominant brother. If the blessing that was mistakenly given to Yaakov in chapter 27 was only a material blessing, then there was no reason why Yitzhak could not have still blessed Esav with material success. The material success of one brother did not have to preclude the material success of the other brother.

In addition, this approach to split the blessings of chapter 27 and 28 into material and spiritual blessings also assumes the incorrigibility of Esav that he could not possibly get the spiritual blessing. Instead, one might wonder why Yaakov should deserve to receive the spiritual blessing after he deceived his father.

In order to understand the relationship between the blessings of chapters 27 and 28, we have to determine what was the point of the fight between Yaakov and Esav? Their fight began in utero, 25:22, continued with the sale of the soup, 25:29-34, with the first blessing in chapter 27, and only ended with their encounter when Yaakov returned from Haran, 32:22-33:17. What was the point of this conflict? Did it have cosmic implications or was it just a personal feud? Was it related to the question who would be part of the covenant or was it just another example of two brothers who did not get along? If the fight was about the covenant, then the blessings of chapters 27 and 28 are connected, but if the fight was a personal feud, then the two blessings are independent of each other, that either brother could have received either blessing or even that both brothers could have received the second blessing.

The conflict between the brothers focused on who would be the firstborn, the dominant brother, and there is no mention that they were fighting about the covenant. It seems that some people assume that only the firstborn son would be a part of the covenant, but both brothers could have been included in the covenant, as occurs by Yaakov’s children. Furthermore, just as Yaakov’s children fought due to sibling rivalry, so too the fight between Yaakov and Esav was a personal fight between brothers.

Accordingly, the blessings of chapter 27 (the one that Yaakov received and the one that Esav received) focused on the personal fight between the brothers, with no implications towards the covenantal process that began with Avraham.

On the other hand, the blessing of chapter 28 is the covenantal blessing, and this was open to both brothers regardless of who was the dominant brother. The only qualification to receive the covenantal blessing was to marry within the family, Terah’s family. The blessing only became relevant when Yaakov said he was going to Haran to marry, and this made him eligible for the blessing even though he had deceived Yitzhak in chapter 27. Yaakov could have left earlier to go to Haran to find a wife, but then this would have meant losing his personal fight with his brother. He only agreed to leave when his life was in danger, and even then only with Rivka’s prompting. With this understanding, Yaakov received the covenantal blessing due to his desire to marry within the family, and not because he sold the soup to Esav or tricked his father.

Esav could have received the covenantal blessings by marrying within the family, but he chose not to. Lavan had two daughters, Leah and Rahel, and hence both Esav and Yaakov could have married with the family of Terah. Yitzhak would have given Esav the covenantal blessing if Esav said he was willing to marry in the family, but Esav married two Hittite wives, 26:34, and then Mahalat, Yishmael’s daughter, 28:9.  These marriages did not disqualify Esav from receiving the blessing of chapter 27, since the question of who was to be the dominant brother was independent of who was to be in the covenant. Yet, the marriages did mean that Yitzhak was unable to give Esav the covenantal blessing of chapter 28.

This approach also explains Rivka’s statement to Yitzhak after she learned that Esav intended to kill Yaakov. Rivka told Yitzhak that Yaakov had to leave to find a wife, and she did not mention the threat to Yaakov’s life, 27:46. Cassuto (1990, p.208) explains that she did want to mention this second reason in order not to upset Yitzhak that Yitzhak should not know that Esav wanted to kill Yaakov. Yet, maybe also if she told Yitzhak that Yaakov was leaving to save himself from Esav, then Yitzhak would not have given the second blessing to Yaakov since the blessing was to the person who would marry within the family, and not to one who was running away to save his life.