Why Bless Esav/2

Why Bless Esav

Exegetical Approaches

Yitzchak Preferred Esav

Unaware of True Nature

Yitzchak was blind to Esav's faults and did not realize that he was unworthy of the blessing.

Sources:Targum Pseudo-JonathanBereshit 25:27-28About Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Bereshit Rabbah65:5,10About Bereshit Rabbah, TanchumaToledot 8About the Tanchuma, RashiBereshit 25:27-28About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, RalbagBeiur Divrei HaParashah Bereshit 25:28Bereshit 27:1-28:9 Toalot 2, 8About R. Levi b. Gershon, AbarbanelBereshit 27About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, SefornoBereshit 26:35Bereshit 27:1About R. Ovadyah Seforno,¹ R. S"R HirschBereshit 27:1About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch²

Why was Yitzchak oblivious? According to most of these commentators, Esav actively misled his father into thinking that he was a righteous person.  Abarbanel adds that Yitzchak's natural love for his eldest son blinded him while Ralbag asserts that his constant communion with Hashem made Yitzchak less aware of the doings of his children.

וַתִּכְהֶיןָ עֵינָיו מֵרְאֹת – Tanchuma and Abarbanel suggest that the dimming of Yitzchak's eyes refers to his blindness to Esav's character.³

What did the blessing constitute? Abarbanel asserts that Yitzchak was planning on blessing Esav with the legacy of Avraham while Seforno, Ralbag and R. Hirsch assert that this was just a blessing for material good.⁴

Did Yitzchak know of the prophecy to Rivka? Abarbanel claims that YItzchak must not have been aware of the prophecy, for if were, he would never have attempted to circumvent it.⁵

Was Yitzchak aware of the sale of the birthright? These commentators do not address the question, but both Abarbanel and Ralbag suggest that the blessing Yitzchak was bestowing was in essence what Yaakov had bought.⁶ As such,it is likely that they would suggest that Yitzchak was either unaware of the sale or thought it invalid.  Seforno, on the other hand, asserts that the birthright was related to religious status, and thus unconnected to the blessings.

What was Rivka thinking?

• Aware of children's ways – Unlike Yitzchak, Rivka recognized the true nature of each of her sons and tried to ensure that the blessing did not go to the undeserving child.⁷ Ralbag points out that she understood that if a prophet blesses another, the words will automatically come to fruition, so she feared that Yaakov would lose out.
• Acting on prophecy – Abarbanel adds that Rivka knew that Yaakov was Hashem's choice due to the prophecy of "the elder shall serve the younger."
•  Show Yitzchak his error –R. Hirsch posits that Rivka's real intention was not to get Yaakov the blessing through trickery⁸ but to show Yitzchak, in action, how easily fooled he is.  This would maybe finally convince him that he had been similarly deceived by Esav throughout.

Why ask Esav to prepare food? Both Abarbanel and Seforno suggest that Yitzchak wanted Esav to do a good deed so as to make him more worthy.⁹ Alternatively the meal was needed to put Yitzchak in the proper state to receive Divine inspiration.

Evaluation of Esav – According to this position, Esav was undeserving of the blessing.  According to most of these sources, he was outright wicked.

גַּם בָּרוּךְ יִהְיֶה – R. Hirsch asserts that Rivka's plan worked, and Yitzchak  finally recognized the true nature of Esav, leading him to full heartedly bless Yaakov. Ralbag and Abarbanel simialrly conclude that, after the fact, Yitzchak realized that this must be Hashem's desire, leading him to affirm the blessing. Seforno more simply suggests that Yitzchak recognized that the blessing had already taken hold.

Esav was the First-born

Esav was not a particularly wicked character and thus his status as first born sufficed to make made him deserving of the blessing.

Sources:RambanBereshit 25:28Bereshit 25:34Bereshit 27:4About R. Moshe Nachmanides, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorBereshit 25:3427:4About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor

What did the blessing constitute? Ramban maintains that Yitzchak was planning to give Esav the blessing of Avraham.

Was Yitzchak aware of the prophecy to Rivka? Ramban asserts that Rivka had never shared the prophecy with her husband; otherwise Yitzchak would never have acted against it.

Was Yitzchak aware of the sale of the birthright? According to ramban, Yaakov had bought either a double portion of the inheritance or honored status, but not the legacy of Avraham.  As such, the sale should not have effected Yitzchak's choice in blessing regardless.

What was Rivka thinking?

Evaluation of Esav

גַּם בָּרוּךְ יִהְיֶה

Self-interest

Yitzchak was motivated by self interest. As he loved Esav more than Yaakov, he desired that he should receive the blessing.

Sources:RambanBereshit 25:28Bereshit 25:34Bereshit 27:4About R. Moshe Nachmanides, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorBereshit 25:3427:4About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor

What did the blessing constitute? According to R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, Yitzchak intended to bestow material goods on Esav.

Was Yitzchak aware of the prophecy to Rivka?

Was Yitzchak aware of the sale of the birthright? R. Yosef Bekhor Shor claims that Yitzchak knew of the sale, and that the blessing was, in fact, designed to circumvent it.  By blessing Esav before he died, Yitzchak was able to ensure that he did not lose out on the inheritance that he had sold to his brother.  This was in effect a "living will".

Why ask Esav to prepare food? Yitzchak told Esav that he had lost his inheritance for a meal; now he was to retrieve it in return for a different meal.

What was Rivka thinking? Just as Yitzchak was acting to ensure that his beloved prevailed, Rivka acted on behalf of her preferred son, Yaakov.

Evaluation of Esav – R. Yosef Bekhor Shor views Esav as a neutral character; thus Yitzchak's preference is understandable.

גַּם בָּרוּךְ יִהְיֶה

Esav Needed the Blessing

YItzchak recognized that Esav was not as righteous as his brother and he hoped that  the blessing would help improve his character..

Sources:PhiloQuestions and Answers on Genesis, IV:198About Philo, RadakBereshit 25:23Bereshit 25:28Bereshit 27:4-5About R. David Kimchi,¹⁰ R. Avraham b. HaRambamBereshit 26:34About R. Avraham Maimonides

What did the blessing constitute?

Was Yitzchak aware of the sale of the birthright?

Was Yitzchak aware of the prophecy to Rivka?

What was Rivka thinking?

Evaluation of Esav

גַּם בָּרוּךְ יִהְיֶה

Both Brothers were to be  Blessed

Yitzchak had planned that each brother was to get a blessing.  While Esav was given a a material blessing, the blessing and legacy of Avraham was meant to be inherited either by Yaakov alone or by both brothers together.

Sources:RadakBereshit 25:23Bereshit 25:28Bereshit 27:4-5About R. David Kimchi, Maasei Hashem, Shadal, R. S"R HirschBereshit 27:1About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch, R. D"Z Hoffmannn, Malbim,Bereshit 27:1Bereshit 27:5About R. Meir Leibush Weiser

What did the blessing constitute?

Was Yitzchak aware of the sale of the birthright?

Was Yitzchak aware of the prophecy to Rivka?

What was Rivka thinking?

Evaluation of Esav

גַּם בָּרוּךְ יִהְיֶה

¹ Seforno maintains that Yitzchak was not totally oblivious to Esav's nature, but that he simply did not appreciate the magnitude of his wickedness. He asserts that Yitzchak knew his sons well enough to prefer Yaakov, whom he had always planned to inherit the blessing of Avraham. Nonetheless he was deceived into thinking that Esav, too, deserved a blessing.

² He combines this approach with the position below which suggests that Yaakov and Esav were supposed to share the blessings.

³ Tanchuma understands that "bribery" blinds a person; thus Yitzchak was blinded by Esav's hunting and talk.  Both Tanchuma and  R. Elazar b. Azarya in Bereshit Rabbah also raise the idea that Hashem intentionally blinded Yitzchak so that he would not be distressed by the evil-doings of his son. 
Seforno, who claims that Yitzchak was aware of some of his son's faults, instead asserts that the bad eyesight was a punishment for not chastising Esav enough. As support, he points to the similar blindness of the high priest Eli who was faulted for not rebuking his sons.

⁴ See below that R. Hirsch maintains that YItzchak had wanted his sons to share in the leadership of the nation and that the spiritual blessing was always to be given to Yaakov.  Seforno agrees that Yaakov was to receive the blessing of Avraham but does not speak of any plans for shared leadership.

⁵ In this he follows Ramban.

⁶ Abarbaenl asserts that Yaakov bought the right to fulfill the legacy of Avraham, while Ralbag asserts that he bought rights to extra material blessings, but according to each, this is exactly what Yitzchak was bestowing.

⁷ Abarbanel asserts that Esav's marriage convinced Rivka that his progeny would never be able to inherit the level of closeness to Hashem and the  Land of Israel necessary to properly lead the nation.

⁸ He points out that such an  endeavor would have been useless. If the blessing was one that comes straight from the Dvine, how could she think that she could deceive Hashem? Moreover, how could she dream that the blessing of Avraham, which is contingent on "צדקה ומשפט" could be attained through trickery?  If, on the other hand, the blessing was simply a father's promise regarding his property or the like, once Yaakov was found out, it would be considered a mistake and thus an invalid gift (מקח טעות).

⁹ This is based on the assumption that Yitzchak realized that Esav was not as deserving as he would have liked.

¹⁰ Radak combines this approach with the one below which suggests that Yaakov was planning on giving Esav only the material blessing while Yaakov was to inherit the spiritual one.