Gen 27:1 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered him, “Here I am.”
Gen 27:2 Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.
Gen 27:3 “Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.
Gen 27:4 “And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”
Some have said that Esau had to earn the blessing by works, showing that salvation comes from works ant not faith in the OT. Yet as we have seen, that simply is not true. The odds are that Isaac want to know it was Esau, and not Jacob that he gave the blessing to. Knowing the tast of his oldest son's cooking, was just one way to know.
Gen 27:5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it.
Gen 27:6 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,
Gen 27:8 “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you.
Gen 27:9 “Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves.
Gen 27:10 “Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.”
Some have said that this shows that not everything goes by the ideas of HaShem. The birth right was sold to Jacob, yet the blessing was not. However if one was to look back, we would find that HaShem said the oldest would serve the youngest. As funny it may sound to some, this is just what was needed for that to come about. Unlike us Rebecka understood that the blessing was to go Jacob.
Gen 27:12 “Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.”
Gen 27:13 But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.”
Jacob had good reason to think Isaac would feel his skin. The blessing as with them all, required that hands be placed on the one being blessed. Mom knowing this as well, was willing to take the blame upon her self. This in it's self helps to add the idea that she know she was doing right. As it shows her willingness to take the curse of man, and that said curse would not come from HaShem.
Gen 27:15 Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.
Gen 27:16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
Gen 27:17 Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
The close talked of here, many well have been the only close Esau wore when serving his dad. Some say they are the close he stole from Nimrod, though this is unfounded. Still one other teaching about the close is that they were used so that Isaac would smell Esau, and not Jacob. As we will see this is said by Isaac.
Gen 27:18 So he went to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”
Gen 27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”
Gen 27:21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”
Gen 27:22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
Gen 27:24 Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.”
Gen 27:25 He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.
Gen 27:26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.”
Gen 27:27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: “Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the LORD has blessed.
Isaac being unwilling to bless the wrong one, wanted to be sure. SO a sniff test was in order. Also Kabbalistically a kiss brings about the deep spiritual intimacy that Isaac wish to arouse in order to cause the Spirit to light on him, that blessing may be stronger.
The smell of washed goat skin is a bit much for most people, and distinctive. Once smelled, a person will not soon forget. As a hunter, I have made many suits from teh skins of the animals I have hunted. The only one I know that stands out more than goat is proghorn.
Gen 27:28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine.
Gen 27:29
Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!”
The last part of this blessing is one we have seen before in Gen 12:3. This was not a slip, This was done so the blessing placed on Abraham would live on. The sages say that Isaac wanted Jacob free of material responsibility, so he would be free to develop spiritually. It was in this idea that Levi was not given any land, and the other tribes were to keep them feed and in need of nothing.
Gen 27:30 Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
Gen 27:32 And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”
Gen 27:33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.”
A blessing once given can't be rescinded.
Gen 27:34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!”
Gen 27:39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above.
Gen 27:40 By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless,
That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”
The end part of this blessing, is what most people misunderstand. It has been said many times that when Esau gets sick of his bother, then he will free himself. Yet if looked at in the Hebrew text, one finds that what is meant here is that if Jacob ever runs a foul of the law, then his blessing would transfer to Esau.
Gen 27:41 So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
Esau still loved his dad, so it was that he wished not to bring any grief upon Isaac. In waiting until the days of morning his, Esau know that he would not do this.
Gen 27:42 And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.
Gen 27:43 “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran.
Gen 27:44 “And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away,
Gen 27:46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”
Rebekah didn't want to tell Isaac that Jacobs life was in danger. So she used the wife of Esau to show her discontent with them. The idea that her life would be no good, comes from the time she had spent whit Jacob in his study of Torah. It was shown to her by Esau, and his wife, that should Jacob marry a women from that land, he may soon set aside his learning. Following Esau in the worship of ideals.
Gen 27:2 Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.
Gen 27:3 “Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.
Gen 27:4 “And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”
Some have said that Esau had to earn the blessing by works, showing that salvation comes from works ant not faith in the OT. Yet as we have seen, that simply is not true. The odds are that Isaac want to know it was Esau, and not Jacob that he gave the blessing to. Knowing the tast of his oldest son's cooking, was just one way to know.
Gen 27:5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it.
Gen 27:6 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,
Gen 27:8 “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you.
Gen 27:9 “Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves.
Gen 27:10 “Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.”
Some have said that this shows that not everything goes by the ideas of HaShem. The birth right was sold to Jacob, yet the blessing was not. However if one was to look back, we would find that HaShem said the oldest would serve the youngest. As funny it may sound to some, this is just what was needed for that to come about. Unlike us Rebecka understood that the blessing was to go Jacob.
Gen 27:12 “Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.”
Gen 27:13 But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.”
Jacob had good reason to think Isaac would feel his skin. The blessing as with them all, required that hands be placed on the one being blessed. Mom knowing this as well, was willing to take the blame upon her self. This in it's self helps to add the idea that she know she was doing right. As it shows her willingness to take the curse of man, and that said curse would not come from HaShem.
Gen 27:15 Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.
Gen 27:16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
Gen 27:17 Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
The close talked of here, many well have been the only close Esau wore when serving his dad. Some say they are the close he stole from Nimrod, though this is unfounded. Still one other teaching about the close is that they were used so that Isaac would smell Esau, and not Jacob. As we will see this is said by Isaac.
Gen 27:18 So he went to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”
Gen 27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”
Gen 27:21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”
Gen 27:22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
Gen 27:24 Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.”
Gen 27:25 He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.
Gen 27:26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.”
Gen 27:27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: “Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the LORD has blessed.
Isaac being unwilling to bless the wrong one, wanted to be sure. SO a sniff test was in order. Also Kabbalistically a kiss brings about the deep spiritual intimacy that Isaac wish to arouse in order to cause the Spirit to light on him, that blessing may be stronger.
The smell of washed goat skin is a bit much for most people, and distinctive. Once smelled, a person will not soon forget. As a hunter, I have made many suits from teh skins of the animals I have hunted. The only one I know that stands out more than goat is proghorn.
Gen 27:28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine.
Gen 27:29
Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!”
The last part of this blessing is one we have seen before in Gen 12:3. This was not a slip, This was done so the blessing placed on Abraham would live on. The sages say that Isaac wanted Jacob free of material responsibility, so he would be free to develop spiritually. It was in this idea that Levi was not given any land, and the other tribes were to keep them feed and in need of nothing.
Gen 27:30 Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
Gen 27:32 And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”
Gen 27:33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.”
A blessing once given can't be rescinded.
Gen 27:34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!”
Gen 27:39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above.
Gen 27:40 By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless,
That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”
The end part of this blessing, is what most people misunderstand. It has been said many times that when Esau gets sick of his bother, then he will free himself. Yet if looked at in the Hebrew text, one finds that what is meant here is that if Jacob ever runs a foul of the law, then his blessing would transfer to Esau.
Gen 27:41 So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
Esau still loved his dad, so it was that he wished not to bring any grief upon Isaac. In waiting until the days of morning his, Esau know that he would not do this.
Gen 27:42 And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.
Gen 27:43 “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran.
Gen 27:44 “And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away,
Gen 27:46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”
Rebekah didn't want to tell Isaac that Jacobs life was in danger. So she used the wife of Esau to show her discontent with them. The idea that her life would be no good, comes from the time she had spent whit Jacob in his study of Torah. It was shown to her by Esau, and his wife, that should Jacob marry a women from that land, he may soon set aside his learning. Following Esau in the worship of ideals.