The most obvious question is the ethical one. How could Jacob and his mother conspire to mislead Isaac? This seems to be disrespectful and unworthy of these two people. Many suggest that Jacob was within his rights to deceive Isaac having had acquired the First Born rights in exchange for lentils. Actually, that story has its own ethical and technical issues; Was it right for Jacob to manipulate Esau into selling his birthright when clearly Esau was in a sorry state? “He came from the field exhausted, and begged for some “red red soup”. Would such a sale be valid? Were rights of a first born able to be sold to the highest bidder? Even assuming those rights could be sold then why then not mention the sale to Rebecca. She then could in turn mention it to Isaac and the whole deception would not have been necessary? There are other technical questions worth mentioning. Is a blessing, or for that matter any transaction, where one party deceives the other party effective? A common Talmudic term used for this type of situation is “Mekach Taos – A mistaken transaction.” Such a transaction is totally reversible. Why didn’t Isaac just say to Esau, “I intended to bless you, so I had the wrong person, now I have the right person so here is your blessing”? That he didn’t do just that it telling, but why not? Even without being reversed wasn’t the blessing intended towards Esau, how would Jacob even have considered himself blessed? It seems that back in those days a sale was a sale and a blessing was a blessing. If you were fooled then that was your tough luck. In the ancient world the operational word was “Buyer beware” or Caveat Emptor in extreme. As such, the sale of the birthright though done under duress was unassailable. Similarly the blessing though done in error was effective. Esau had figured he could reclaim the birthright by concealing the sale. It therefore matters very little that the blessing was done with deceit. Either way Isaac was being deceived.
The blessing that Jacob and Rebecca were concerned about was the inheritance of the land of Israel, otherwise known as “Birkat Avraham” the Blessing of Abraham. Their concern was that Isaac would bless Esau and give him the land of Israel because, technically, Esau was first born. However in fact the blessing of the land of Israel could never had gone to Esau because he sold his birthright and because of whom he married. Esau, by marrying two Canaanite women who were unworthy of the land, lost his right to the land. Isaac ultimately confirmed the blessing to Jacob. “He too shall be blessed”. Isaac again blessed Jacob at the end of the Parsha;”Go take a wife from the daughters of Lavan. G-d will bless you …. And will give you the blessing of Abraham for you and you descendants to inherit the land in which you live. That land that G-d gave to Abraham. “
Abraham stated “I am dust and ash (Afar Vaefer)”. My essence is of the land. When I die I will become one with land being buried in the land. My flesh shall return to the land but even in my lifetime I am connected to the land. Only a person who could connect to the land the way Abraham connected would inherit the land. Jacob loved the land in that same fashion. Esau was willing to trade his first born rights to the land for a bowl of soup. Jacob put everything on the line and risked his father’s scorn and wrath. He did so for the love of the land. The pasuk makes it clear “And he (Esau) gave no value to his birthright”. The pasuk testifies to Esau’s disrespect for the land of Israel. In the end Isaac realized that it was Jacob who deserved the “Blessing of Abraham”.
Dedicated to the memory of Joel Shulman A’H
