Clothes Make the Man
By Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
Yaaqob Receives Yitzchak’s Blessing
Throughout the Torah we see various mundane aspects of life: Eating, drinking, clothing, walking, etc. The Torah comes to reveal not to conceal. This suggests that these mundane aspects convey deeper meaning than we might otherwise attribute to them. In this paper, I would like to explore clothing as it reveals a man’s mission and his office.
Clothing tell us a lot about a man; it helps make us who we are. Clothes make the man.[1] Yet, nowhere in the Torah do we find a description of women’s clothing. Descriptions of men’s clothing, on the other hand, appear early and often.
The late 15th-century commentator Rabbi Isaac Arama, in his classic Akedat Yitzchak, provides even stronger support for our contention that clothes make the man. He identifies a similarity between the Hebrew word for the Kohen’s uniform and the Hebrew word for ethical character. The Hebrew word for uniform is “mad - מַדִ”, plural “madim - מַדִים”, and the Hebrew word for a character trait is “midah - מִידָּה” (“midot - מידות”).
Yaaqob Abinu, also known as Israel, was the third and final of our Patriarchs. He is the son of Isaac and Rivka, the grandson of Abraham and Sarah, and the father of twelve sons, the progenitors of the twelve tribes of Israel. The portrait of Yaaqob that emerges from the Midrash is that of a near-perfect individual who personified honesty, spoke with heartfelt and total integrity.
As the third Patriarch, Yaaqob integrated in himself the quality of Chesed from Abraham and the quality of Geburah from Yitzchak. Yaaqob was Tiferet.
Tiferet, normally translated as mercy or compassion, blends and harmonizes the free outpouring love of chesed with the discipline of Geburah. Tiferet possesses this power by introducing a third dimension, the dimension of truth, which is neither love nor discipline and therefore can integrate the two.
Yaaqob is known as being the pillar of Emet, truth,[2] as it states in the Book of Micah:
Micah 7:20 Give truth to Yaaqob, mercy to Abraham, as Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
A man of truth is not only a person who doesn’t lie; he is a person who is honest, consistent, and focused on true values, as opposed to a person who acts capriciously and is centered on superficial pursuits. The Torah goes on to describes Yaaqob, as an ‘ish tam’, a man of integrity.[3]
Bereshit (Genesis) 25:27 And the boys grew; and Esav was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Yaaqob was a man of integrity, dwelling in tents.
This clearly indicates that Yaaqob was totally dedicated to only perform acts of honesty and truthfulness.
Rashi to Bereshit 25:27 says: “Yaaqob was a tam - תָּם man”: Yaaqob was inexpert in all of this cunning stuff, as was Esav. Rather, he said what was in his heart. One who is not sharp in deceiving [others] is called “plain” (tam).
Later, in the days of the kingdom of Yehuda, HaShem says to Israel[4] / Yaaqob:
Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 2:21 And I had planted you, wholly seed of Truth; …
The Psalms[5] are full of condemnation for the one who is deceitful. Now, I know that Yaaqob was an exceedingly righteous man, and he was NOT the deceitful man that the Psalms speak about. Therefore, I am studying to understand the truth of Yaaqob.
However, there seems to be a glaring problem with ascribing the trait of Emet, Truth, to Yaaqob Abinu, which will force us to look deeper into this entire subject. If anything, it seems that, of all the Avot, Yaaqob Abinu is the least likely to be dubbed the ‘man of truth’, for several of his actions across his life seem to be, on the surface, anything but truthful. Yaaqob first seems to takes advantage of his brother Esav’s[6] hunger in persuading him to sell Yaaqob the firstborn rights in exchange for some lentil soup. Then he appears to disguise himself as Esav to elicit Yitzchak’s blessing.[7] These incidents, especially, cause many to see Yaaqob as anything other than a man of truth. Never the less, that is not the image Chazal paint of Yaaqob.
The image of Yaaqob in Chazal is always depicted as the man of “Emet - אֲמִתּ”, of truth.[8] Since I know that this is true, the problem is understanding ‘how’ it is true.
This study is predicated on the understanding that Yaaqob personifies truth and I assume every incident in Yaaqob’s life is entirely truthful.
In this paper we will examine the incidents in the Torah where it appears that Yaaqob is not telling the truth. In order to do this, I will be looking at what the Torah says and explaining the implications of the words.
Let’s begin by examining the Gemara’s explanation that Yaaqob is truth. The Gemara in Makkoth 24 identifies Yaaqob as the paradigm of truth, proven by his reluctance to trick his father and receive the beracha.
Makkoth 24a “Who has no slander upon his tongue”; this is referring to one who conducts himself like our forefather Yaaqob, who did not want to mislead his father in order to receive his blessings, as it is written: “Perhaps my father will feel me, and I will be in his eyes like a fraud”.[9]
Notice, in the above Gemara, that Yaaqob is not worried about lying to his father, rather he is worried about his father thinking that he was a fraud, while Yaaqob knew he is no fraud.
The incidents which show Yaaqob as taking on the Role of Esav, and thereby becoming Esav are as follows:
1. Holding onto his brother’s heel when he is born.
2. Providing Esav with cooked lentils.
3. Buying the birthright, the becorah, from Esav.
4. Wearing Esav’s garments of the High Priest when getting Yitzchak’s blessing.
5. Yaaqob brings Yitzchak food, demonstrating the “hands of Esav”.
6. Yaaqob received Yitzchak’s blessing for the firstborn, with Yitzchak’s complete agreement.
7. Marrying Leah who was destined as Esav’s wife.
8. Battling Esav’s angel and overcoming him.
9. Providing physical sustenance to Esav.
10. Receiving the additional name of ‘Israel’.
Please bear in mind that Yaaqob retained his own mission and personality despite becoming Esav. This is demonstrated when HaShem gave Yaaqob the name ‘Israel’.
We will explore each of the above events to understand ‘how’ Yaaqob became Esav and took on Esav’s role while maintaining his own mission and personality.
Finally, keep in mind that the purpose of this paper is to see Yaaqob as the man of truth that is called out in the Tanach and reiterated by Chazal.
Let’s go pack to Rivka’s pregnancy to begin to see what Yaaqob needed to accomplish.
Bereshit (Genesis) 25:21-26 And Yitzchak entreated HaShem for his wife, because she was barren; and HaShem let Himself be entreated of him, and Rivka his wife conceived. 22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said: ‘If it be so, wherefore do I live?’ And she went to inquire of HaShem. 23 And HaShem said unto her: Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. 24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came forth ruddy, all over like a hairy mantle; and they called his name Esav. 26 And after that came forth his brother, and his hand had hold on Esav’s heel; and his name was called Yaaqob. And Yitzchak was threescore years old when she bore them.
To understand how Yaaqob is truth, we need to look at the first instance of complication: the birth of Yaaqob and Esav and Yaaqob holding onto Esav’s foot. Twins sharing a common mission would be what we would expect. This is what Yitzchak expected, but not what Rivka was expecting.
Yitzchak foresaw the emergence of a single nation from both sons, Rivka knew better. When she “went to seek HaShem” to explain the meaning behind her unusually difficult pregnancy, she was told, “Two nations are in your belly; two peoples will separate from your womb.” Rivka thus learned that her sons would yield two distinct nations, only one inheriting the promise to Avraham.
Rashi based on Midrash Rabbah explains why he did this: “He (Yaaqob) held onto him lawfully, to restrain him. Yaaqob was formed from the first drop and Esav from the second. Go forth and learn from a tube that has a narrow opening. Insert two stones into it, one after the other. The one that entered first will emerge last, and the one that entered last will emerge first. The result is that Esav, who was formed last, emerged first, and Yaaqob, who was formed first emerged last, and Yaaqob came to restrain him so that he (Yaaqob) should be the first to be born as he was the first to be formed, and he would open her womb and take the birthright by law.”
Yaaqob symbolizes the truth in its most pure form- he was actually formed first. The problem arises in our world of reality where the truth cannot be expressed fully, like the tube that does not allow the stone inside to emerge first as should be. This expresses that our material world is full of complications and although there is a truth in essence, it is not always possible to see it.
Rivka was told that two, by Shem,[10] that she was going to have twins who represented two nations that were in her womb and they were struggling over Olam HaZeh[11] and Olam HaBa.
God explains the reason for the “struggling” that is going on inside her, and tells her that of these two nations, “the elder shall serve the younger.” Over the course of many years, Rivka guards this message in her heart. When the Torah testifies that “Yitzchak loved Esav, but Rivka loved Yaaqob,” with no explanation, perhaps this is the reason for Rivka’s position. Now that Yitzchak intends to bless Esav and to tell him, among other things, “Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow before you,” she knows and understands that she must take action. It was not for nothing that God conveyed His message before her sons were born! At this moment, Rivka acts in order to realize God’s decision and His stipulation that “the elder shall serve the younger.” This alone justifies her actions, her determination, and her confidence in the decision to act without discussing the situation with Yitzchak and trying to convince him of her vision.
In the first part, of the above pasuk, We see that Esav and Yaaqob were to become nations and that Esav was supposed to Yaaqob. We can get an idea of how Esav was to serve by noting that Yaaqob was grabbing on to Esav heel. This begs the question: what is the significance of the heel?
The heel contains a part of the body that contains dead skin that is so insensitive that it cannot feel anything of significance. On the other hand, that which is totally insignificant and trivial: tickling,[12] that the foot can feel. Life-force is not felt in the heel, which is why the heel is called the “Angel of Death in Man”.[13]
This struggle between Adam and the serpent is typified in the struggle between Yaaqob and his brother Esav. The Torah records that the birth of these twins was in such a way that the heel of Esav was intimately involved:
Hosea 12:3-5 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him [in] Beth-el, and there he spake with us; Even HaShem God of hosts; HaShem [is] his memorial.
The material world of Asiyah[14] is at the feet, the bottom of the whole system of worlds upon worlds created by HaShem as a means of ascent for the soul. In this world, the soul, Yaaqob, is at the Eikev, “foot” of the universe. His mission is to find Godliness even at the lowest levels of creation, in the world of physicality. This he does by viewing all things in the radiant light of chachma (wisdom), represented in the letter Yod, root of all the twenty-two letters of the Aleph-Bet. Thus, Yaaqob’s name is made up by joining the Yod to Eikev (the heel):
Yaaqob (יַעֲקֹב) = yod (י) + eikev (עקב).
Yod has a numerical value of ten (10). Thus the meaning of Yaaqob is “ten in the heel”.
Yaaqob’s name contains two concepts. His name begins with the letter yod the first and highest level of HaShem’s name, (representing chachma the highest of G-dly levels), and ends with the word for heel (eikev), the lowest of mundane levels. So low that it is as though dead.
The name Yaaqob also implies that the revelation of the yod permeates until one’s heel.
When Yaaqob and Esav, the twins, were born, “The first one came out all red like a hairy mantle all over, and they called his name Esav. And afterwards his brother came out, and his hand was holding the heel of Esav, and he called his name Yaaqob”.[15] From the very beginning Yaaqob had his hand (Yad = Yod, chachma) at the heel of Esav, Asiyah,[16] the heel and foot of all the worlds. That was why he was called Yaaqob.
Yaaqob grasping Esav’s heel was Yaaqob’s attempt to take Esav’s role in mastering the physical world and using to support Torah. Remember Esav is supposed to be providing the physical resources that Yaaqob needs in order to master Torah and bring the world back to Gan Eden.
Bereshit (Genesis) 25:27 And the boys grew; and trapping was in Esav’s mouth, a man of the field; and Yaaqob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.[17]
Rashi on Genesis 25:27: “Skilled in hunting” – In trapping and deceiving his father through his words, asking him, “Father, how does one tithe salt and straw?” such that his father was convinced that he was careful in his observance of the commandments. “While Yaaqob was a plain man” – inexpert in all of this. Rather, he said what was in his heart. One who is not sharp in deceiving [others] is called “plain” (tam).
Is this indeed what the Torah reveals that Esav deceives his father, “trapping him with his words,” while Yaaqob is “inexpert in all of this”? An objective reading of this Torah portion would seem to invite some very difficult questions concerning Yaaqob’s behavior, and no less so the behavior of Rivka, his mother, specifically and especially in the sphere of honesty and integrity.
Our problem surfaces with the very first interaction that the text records between Yaaqob and Esav. Esav returns from the field. He is very hungry[18] and he asks Yaaqob, his brother, for some of the stew that he has prepared while at home. Yaaqob exploits his brother’s hunger, allowing him to eat of the stew only in return for Esav’s sale of his birthright. Abravanel formulates the question that immediately arises:
If Yaaqob was plain [guileless] and upright, how could it occur to him to ask his older brother to sell him his birthright for a lentil stew? Furthermore, it is not proper for a God-fearing person who keeps far from evil to covet that which is not his own; certainly, he should not cause him anguish through his words in order to purchase his birthright for the laughable price of a lentil stew. And if Esav was dim-witted, Yaaqob should have conducted himself as someone who loves justice and not caused him distress… And even if we say that the price was not lentil stew, but rather silver and gold, it remains troubling that the order and development of events is such that when Esav returns from the field, hungry and asking to eat, and that Yaaqob, upon seeing that he is weary with hunger and thirst, asks, “Will you sell me your birthright today?”
In order to see this incident in the correct way, one must understand Esav and his deeds.
Baba Batra 16b R. Johanan said: That wicked [Esav] committed five sins on that day. He dishonored a betrothed maiden, he committed a murder, he denied God, he denied the resurrection of the dead, and he spurned the birthright. [We know that] he dishonored a betrothed maiden, because it is written here, And Esav came in from the field,[19] and it is written in another place [in connection with the betrothed maiden], He found her in the field.[20] [We know that] he committed murder, because it is written here [that he was] faint, and it is written in another place, Woe is me now, for my soul fainteth before the murderers.[21] [We know that] he denied God, because it is written here, What benefit is this to me, and it is written in another place, This is my God and I will make him an habitation.[22] [We know that] he denied the resurrection of the dead because he said, Behold, I am on the way to die: also that he spurned the birthright because it is written, So Esav despised his birthright.
Given that Yaaqob knew his brother, then one can readily understand that Yaaqob did not see his brother as a Priest who could help him connect with HaShem. Yet, the family needed a priest from among the pious, therefore Yaaqob entreated Esav to sell the birthright. Yaaqob did not take advantage of Esav, as the Torah says:
Bereshit (Genesis) 25:34 And Yaaqob gave Esav bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way. So Esav despised his birthright.
This episode that we find troubling is the sale of the birthright. Does HaShem recognize the sale? It would appear that He does. When Abraham dies, we read: “Yitzchak and Yishmael, his sons, buried him”,[23] with Yitzchak preceding Yishmael, even though he is younger, because he is Abraham’s heir. When Yitzchak dies, the Torah records, “Esav and Yaaqob, his sons, buried him”.[24] We would have expected Yaaqob to be listed first, since he is Yitzchak’s heir. But the Holy One, blessed be He, apparently gives precedence to Esav since he was the epitome of a son who honors his father.[25] Clearly, in the case of Abraham, HaShem sees Yaaqob as the owner of the becorah.
Again, the Torah teaches that Yaaqob is a man of truth! In this incident, Yaaqob became the Priest, Yaaqob became Esav as the firstborn. Yaaqob is truth!
Taken literally, this means that Yaaqob does not lie. If we assume, he neither lies nor deceives, then how do we resolve the incident when he obtained Yitzchak’s blessing?
The Torah describes the garments worn by the Priests in the Temple as follows:
“Aharon and his sons shall don their belt and their hat,
and they (the garments) shall be for them as priesthood, as a statute forever”.[26] The Gemara[27]
deduces, “When they wear their special vestments, they have the status of Priests. When they are not wearing these vestments, they
do not have this status.” This means that the sacrifices are valid only if the Priest offering them attires himself
correctly.
The Torah said,
Shemot (Exodus) 28:3 They should make the clothes of Aharon to sanctify him to serve as a kohen to Me.
The Gemara,[28] citing additional sources, as well, explains this to mean that “When they are wearing their (special) garments, their priesthood is upon them; if they are not wearing their (special) garments, their priesthood is not upon them”.
Maimonides, codifying the concepts from the Torah text, writes: “A High Priest who serves in the Temple with less than his eight vestments, or an ordinary priest who serves with less than his four required vestments … invalidates the service performed and is subject to punishment by death at the hands of Heaven, as if he were an alien who served in the Temple….”.[29]
“With a robe of righteousness, He has enwrapped me; like a bridegroom, who, priest-like, donned garments of glory.”[30] This is the case, since, at the time of the Torah, these garments [of the Kohen Gadol] were most often worn by the kings of this period. [Moreover,] this was unmistakably demonstrated in regards to [Joseph’s] coat: “And he [Yaaqob] made him a fine woolen coat.”[31] … This means that Yaaqob dressed him like a son of one of the ancient kings.
Rav Soloveitchik analyzes the relationship that obtains between humility and authority in reference to the Bigdei Kohen Gadol, and the Kohen Gadol himself:
There is a special aspect of humility that is indispensable to positions of power. One’s authority comes not from within, but from without. G-d wanted the Kohen Gadol to realize that he was undeserving of his position. When he wore his “uniform,” the Kohen Gadol recognized that he filled his role not due to his own merits — which were insufficient for anyone to assume such a high office. The same was true of the king; without the donning of the royal garments, he would not have the authority to act as king.
Maimonides, codifying the concepts which emerge from the biblical text, writes: “A High Priest who serves in the Temple with less than his eight vestments, or an ordinary priest who serves with less than his four required vestments... invalidates the service performed and is subject to punishment by death at the hands of Heaven, as if he were an alien who served in the Temple … When their vestments are upon them, their priestly status is upon them, but without their vestments their priestly status is removed from them …”.[32]
The problem must always be made the solution. V’Nahapoch hu means we turn the problem into its solution. Use the negative force against itself. Don’t wear “fig leaves” to cover your skin. Use skins to cover your skin.
Begged (בגד),[33] the word for a garment (and costume), the outer clothing of the invisible core. But amazingly, wonderfully, a “garment”, is also the word for “treachery”.[34]
Lebush (לבוש): A garment that is not intended for every day, every-person wear, but rather for special occasions or special people.[35] Lebush also spells labush, which means ‘not to be ashamed’.
Meil (מְעִיל): An outer garment. Meil also means treachery- something sanctified which is being used for the profane.
The garments may lie, they may cover an identity instead of revealing it, that is their nature. A garment conceals our body, but it reveals our dignity. Our bodies are no longer transparent. Now we wear a ‘hide’ of skin. This ‘hide’ hides who we really are. In a manner of speaking, we are constantly wearing a costume and a mask to conceal who and what we really are.
The Midrash explains that that Esav’s garments were the garments of the first man, Adam.[36] The first man was a firstborn and his garments were the garments of a high priest. Esav as the becorah, the first born, was the high priest for his family. It was only fitting that he should have the garments of the high priest.
In order to become Esav, Yaaqob needed to wear Esav’s special clothes. Like the clothes of the High Priest, Esav’s clothes were very special.
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers IV:8 …Adam was the world’s firstborn. When he offered his sacrifice, as it says: And it pleased the Lord better than a bullock that hath horns and hoofs[37] - he donned high priestly garments; as it says: And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments[38] of skins, and clothed them.[39] They were robes of honour[40] which subsequent firstborn used. When Adam died he transmitted them to Seth. Seth transmitted them to Methuselah.[41] When Methuselah died he transmitted them to Noah. Noah arose and offered a sacrifice; as it says: And he took of every clean beast... and offered burnt-offerings on the altar.[42] Noah died and transmitted them to Shem. But was Shem a firstborn? Japheth, surely, was the firstborn; as it says: Shem... the brother of Japheth the elder![43] Why then did he hand them on to Shem? Because Noah foresaw[44] that the line of the patriarchs would issue from him. There is proof that Shem offered sacrifices; since it says: And Melchizedek,[45] king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was priest of God the Most High.[46] Now was it to him that the priesthood was given? The priesthood, surely, was not given to any man until Aaron arose. What then is the meaning of the statement here, ‘and he was priest’? Because he offered sacrifices like priests. Shem died and handed it on to Abraham. But was Abraham a firstborn?[47] The fact is that because he was a righteous man the birthright was transferred to him, and he offered sacrifices; as it says: And offered him[48] up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son.[49] Abraham died and handed it on to Yitzchak. Yitzchak arose and handed it on to Yaaqob. But was Yaaqob a firstborn? No; but you find that Yaaqob prudently took it [the birthright] from Esav. He said to him: Sell me first thy birthright.[50] Do you suppose perhaps that it was for no good reason that Yaaqob asked Esav to sell him the birthright? No! Yaaqob wished to offer sacrifices and could not, because he was not the firstborn. Said Esav: ‘What can I expect of this birthright? ‘ As it says: Behold I am at the point to die[51]; and what profit shall the birthright do to me?
Midrash Tanchuma also teaches that Adam’s garments were the garments of the High Priest:
Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Toldot 12 THEN [THE LORD] GOD MADE TUNICS OF SKIN FOR ADAM AND HIS WIFE AND CLOTHED THEM. What were TUNICS OF SKIN? [Garments] of high priesthood, which the Holy One put on them, since he (Adam) was the glory of the world.
Yaaqob, at this point, has already purchased the becorah, the birthright. The becorah gives him the responsibility to act as the Priest for the family. Now, in order to become the Priest, he puts on the Priestly garments.
Bereshit (Genesis) 27:11-16 And Yaaqob said to Rivka his mother: ‘Behold, Esav my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a mocker; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.’ 13 And his mother said unto him: ‘Upon me be thy curse, my son; only hearken to my voice, and go fetch me them.’ 14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. And Rivka took the choicest garments of Esav her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Yaaqob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck.
This statement is an expression of Yaaqob’s definition vis-a-vis Esav. Esav is a “hairy man” while Yaaqob has no distinguishing quality. However, Rivka finds a solution to this absence of a sign of identity, which benefits Yaaqob: “And Rivka took the choicest garments of Esav her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Yaaqob her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck”.[52] Yaaqob must become Esav; the man must become an animal, become the object of jealousy. Instead of holding on to Esav’s heel, he must become Esav. Will he succeed? When Yaaqob reaches his father, draws closer and kisses him, Yitzchak says, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed”.[53]
Rivka was right to propose what she did and Yaaqob was right to do it. Rivka knew that it would be Yaaqob, not Esav, who would continue the covenant and carry the mission of Abraham into the future. She knew this on two separate grounds. First, she had heard it from HaShem himself, in the oracle she received before the twins were born:
Bereshit (Genesis) 25:23 Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the elder will serve the younger.
Esav was the elder, Yaaqob the younger. Therefore it was Yaaqob who would emerge with greater strength, Yaaqob who was chosen by HaShem.
Second, she had watched the twins grow up. She knew that Esav was a hunter, a man of violence. She had seen that he was impetuous, mercurial, a man of impulse, not calm reflection. She had seen him sell his birthright for a bowl of soup. She had watched while he “ate, drank, rose and left. So Esav despised his birthright”.[54] No one who despises his birthright can be the trusted guardian of a covenant intended for eternity.
Third, just before the episode of the blessing we read: “When Esav was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rivka.”[55] This too was evidence of Esav’s failure to understand what the covenant requires. By marrying Hittite women he proved himself indifferent both to the feelings of his parents and to the self-restraint in the choice of marriage partner that was essential to being Abraham’s heir.
When it was time for Yitzchak to bless Esav, we see Rivka intervening to ensure that Yitzchak’s blessing for the firstborn goes to Yaaqob because prophetically she was informed that Yaaqob had become Esav. Further Yaaqob knew that the blessing was for the one with the Becorah, the birthright. Since Yaaqob had purchased the birthright, he had become Esav, Yitzchak’s firstborn.
Commentaries point out, that there are places in the text that indicate Yaaqob’s reluctance to carry out this seemingly “deceitful” act. The Gemara quoted above[56] continues to say that Yaaqob was reluctant to deceive Yitzchak to get the blessing, as it is written: “Perhaps my father will feel me, and I will be in his eyes like a fraud”.[57] In fact, Yaaqob was very concerned about being truthful, and he only went through with the plan because his mother, Rivka, told him to. Yaaqob’s reluctance can further be seen in his word choice. Yaaqob says that Yitzchak might realize he is Yaaqob and not Esav due to Esav’s hairiness, “Perhaps (ulay - אוּלַי) my father will feel me”.[58] HaKetav VeHakabbala notes that Yaaqob uses the word ‘ulay’ (אולי) instead of the word ‘pen’ (פן). ‘Pen’ means ‘lest’ and is used when the speaker does not want the outcome to happen. For example, when Chava is talking to the snake about the command not to eat from the Etz HaDaat in Gan Eden, she says “But of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God said, “You shall not eat of it, and you shall not touch it, lest (pen) you die’”.[59] Clearly death is not a desired outcome. The fact that Yaaqob does not use the word ‘pen’ but instead uses the word ‘ulay - אוּלַי’ about his father discovering that he is in fact himself and not his brother shows that he actually did want the outcome to happen – he wanted Yitzchak to realize it was him, and that he was Esav![60]
The Midrash describes Yaaqob as the High Priest. He is now getting all the blessings of the physical world and directing them toward HaShem. That is why Esav keeps the garments in his parents’ home. This is the only place where he is involved in mitzvot,[61] the mitzva of honoring his father, and, therefore, this is where he wears his garments of HaShem’s service. And that is why he keeps them away from his wives. Since this is the one place where Esav does do something good, he does not want his wives to abuse those clothes as he did.
This idea of the proper use of the Priesthood is the original debate between Yaaqob and Esav. Yaaqob asks Esav to sell him the birthright. This takes place right after Esav steals the clothes of Adam / Priesthood from Nimrod. Esav asks, “What is the birthright?” Yaaqob says it is the priesthood. Says Esav, what do I need that for! Esav wants the clothes but not to be the Priest. Yaaqob is the Priest and therefore needs the clothes.
The special clothes that the Priests wore while performing the service in the Temple were meant to somehow “change the man”, to take the imperfect Priest with all his deficiencies, and “cover up” with priestly garments that elevated the Priest to the level that he could directly serve HaShem.
The Zohar indicates that at the sod level, these special garments actually belonged to Yaaqob.
Soncino Zohar, Bereshit, Section 1, Page 224b R. Judah said: ‘When Yaaqob went in to his father to obtain a blessing, he was wearing the garments of Esav; nevertheless the text says that Yitzchak smelt his garments,[62] to indicate that he caught the odor of his raiment in the future world, and it was therefore that he blessed him.
Yaaqob brings to Yitzchak two goats. Rashi says that those are two animal offerings, the Passover lamb and a festival; offering. Based on what we said above, he puts on the garments of the priesthood, and when he brings them to his father who is obviously a Torah scholar; that is like bringing an offering.
The imagery of Yaaqob approaching Yitzchak dressed as Esav brings to mind the ultimate point of bringing up ‘Yaaqob’ to be in place of ‘Esav.’ On the surface of this Yaaqob/Esav figure is Esav but on the inside is Yaaqob. To go along with the notion of transcending the senses is the idea of getting past the sensory oriented surface level reality to expose the more intellectually and spirituality oriented inner reality. The idea, again, is the bringing up of Yaaqob in the place of Esav.
To understand the incident in which Yitzchak blessed Yaaqob, we must go back and look at what went on previously, with Yaaqob and Esav, that positioned him to say, “I am Esav your firstborn”.
When Yaaqob and Esav go to their father Yitzchak to receive his blessing, Yaaqob states, “I [am] Esav [is] your bechor,” and Esav introduces himself as, “I am your son your bechor Esav.” While they have no problem with Esav’s declaration, the commentators parse Yaaqob’s words to ensure that we do not interpret them to mean that he explicitly lies to his father. Yaaqob simply states that he is who he is and that Esav’s is the bechor. However, by telling Yitzchak that Esav is the bechor, one might in fact think that Yaaqob is nevertheless telling a falsehood, since he purchased the bechor from Esav. He therefore should have said, “I am your bechor,” leaving Esav’s name out entirely. What the story of Reuven instructs is that the first-born can never lose the status of the bechor in terms of his lineage; one can only lose, or sell, the privileges that it entails. Yaaqob could not call himself the bechor, since he could never be the first-born. He therefore had to include Esav’s name in his introduction.
Recognition of this fact also explains why Rivka told Yaaqob to take Esav’s blessing even while Yitzchak blessed Yaaqob with Avraham’s blessing separately. The first blessing that Yitzchak originally meant for Esav included material wealth and dominion, the two components of entitlement for the bechor. Rivka was told that her two children would be kings of different nations and that the elder shall serve the younger.[63] Because the kingship is not tied specifically to lineage but to the son who can best reign in his father’s stead, she knew that Yaaqob and not Esav should receive this blessing. Yitzchak, on the other hand, believed that Esav could wield material strength and authority even if he could not fulfill the destiny of being a spiritual leader. He nevertheless thought that the two sons could fulfill the dual role of controlling the spiritual and material realms together. After discovering that he gave the blessing of material wealth and power to Yaaqob instead of Esav, he quickly realizes that Yaaqob should be blessed, with nothing left for Esav.
Notice, in v.19, that Yaaqob declares that he should receive the blessing as the firstborn. Did he lie? (No, he had already acquired the Becorah.[64]) Can you steal a blessing? (No, spiritual acquisitions depend on the correct acquisition.) Consider that Yaaqob is known as the pillar of truth, as it states in sefer Micah:
Micah 7:20 Give truth to Yaaqob, mercy to Abraham, as Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
Since Yaaqob represents truth, we must begin to understand that somehow Yaaqob has also become Esav. He has become the Becorah, the firstborn. As the Becorah he must have Yitzchak’s blessing in order to accomplish the mission of Esav. He did not lie, rather he informed his father that he had taken on Esav’s mission and therefore he required the bracha, the blessing.
Yaaqob's clothing radiated a scent direct from the Garden of Eden.
Bereshit (Genesis) 27:27 And he came near, and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said: See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which HaShem hath blessed.
Yitzchak blessed Yaaqob because the garments emitted this holy aroma, not because he was deceived. Yitzchak realized that this fragrance could only accompany someone worthy of the blessing. For if he did not deserve to be blessed, no holy aroma would be put forth. This is the meaning of the verse “and he smelled the smell of his garments, and blessed him”.
Thus, we learn that Yaaqob embodied the power and soul of Esav as derived from Adam HaRishon.[65]
Bereshit (Genesis) 27:33-36 Yitzchak trembled violently and said, ‘Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and 1 blessed him - and indeed he will be blessed!’ When Esav heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, ‘Bless me - me too, my father!’ But he said, ‘Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.’ Esav said, ‘Isn’t he rightly named Yaaqob? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: he took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!’ Then he asked, ‘Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?’
Rashi to Bereshit (Genesis) 27:36 And he said, “Is it for this reason that he was named Jacob - הֲכִי is an expression denoting the interrogative, as in (below 29:15): “Is it because (הֲכִי) you are my kinsman…?” Was he named Jacob (יַעֲקֽב) because of the future, because he was destined to deceive me (לְעָקְבֵנִי) ? Midrash Tanchuma[66] [asks]: Why did Isaac shudder? He said, “Perhaps I am guilty of an iniquity, for I have blessed the younger son before the older one, and thus altered the order of the relationship.” [Thereupon], Esau started crying, “He has already deceived me twice!” His father said to him, “What did he do to you?” He replied, “He took my birthright.” He [Isaac] said, “That is why I was troubled and shuddered, for [I was afraid that] perhaps I [had] transgressed the line of strict justice, [but] now [that I know that] I actually blessed the firstborn, ‘he too shall be blessed’.”
When Yaaqob came into Yitzchak for the blessing; Yitzchak did not know that Yaaqob had purchased the becorah, the birthright, and was the true owner of the Priestly garments. However, after Esav arrived, there could be no doubt that Yaaqob had the becorah and that he rightly wore the priestly garments. Since Yaaqob had become Esav, Yitzchak confirmed the blessing. In other words, Yitzchak was beguiled, but Yaaqob still told the truth.
We can see from the blessing that the Pshat[67] indicates that they were all material blessings. In addition to what he needs to live well, he also is given power over his brethren. From this we learn that Esav’s original mission was to subdue the earth and control the people. Esav’s mission was the physical aspect of creation. He was supposed to conquer his own evil inclination and provide the material needs for Yaaqob to carry out his spiritual mission. From this mission we can begin to understand that Yaaqob’s original mission, which he retained, involves the spiritual aspects of the world. He was to be a tent dweller. Yaaqob is described as a dweller of tents; which Chazal interpret to refer to the tents of the yeshiva of Shem and Eber.
Bereshit (Genesis) 25:27 And the boys grew; and trapping was in Esav’s mouth, a man of the field; and Yaaqob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.
Bamidbar (Numbers) 24:5 How goodly are thy tents, O Yaaqob, thy dwellings, O Israel!
The Sefat Emet[68] says that when Yaaqob came in to Yitzchak he said, “I am Esav your firstborn”, he was saying, “I’ve taken on the cloak of Esav’s responsibilities, the mission of the inner world along with the mission to elevate the outer world”. At that moment he merited Leah as his soul mate to help him complete his role. Rachel could have easily argued that she would take on a double role, but instead she gave over her role to her sister. She could’ve said, “Leah caused all the problems by acquiescing to Lavan instead of refusing to go to the wedding ceremony. I don’t have to sacrifice myself for this.” Or she could have insisted on marrying first while Leah would marry later. But she didn’t. She gave up the signs and her chance at fulfilling her destiny to save her sister from shame.
“I am Esav your firstborn” is the absolute truth! How can this be? HaRav Dessler z”l gave the following analogy: Suppose the watch I am wearing is a half an hour fast - the correct time is now 10:30 and my watch says that it is 11:00. Someone comes over to me and asks me “what time do you have”. I could tell him 11:00 for, after all, that is the time displayed on my watch. That, however, is not the answer this person is looking for. He is interested in the correct time. His question to me of “what time do you have” assumes that my watch was set correctly. The appropriate answer to give him would therefore be 10:30.
In this manner we can explain Yaaqob’s identifying himself to his father as Esav. Yitzchak had no interest in blessing a wicked man, yet for all these years he was deceived into thinking that Esav was a tzaddik. Esav used to ask him how one separates tithes from salt and straw, misleading Yitzchak into thinking that Esav was even more meticulous in his observance of mitzvoth than Yaaqob.[69] Based on this, Yitzchak elected to bestow his blessing upon the righteous Esav. Yaaqob, however, knows the truth, there is no “righteous Esav”. In fact, Yaaqob knows that had his father been aware of Esav’s true character he would not have blessed him at all (certainly not with the bracha he had designated for him), he surely would have elected to give the blessing to Yaaqob. Based on Yitzchak’s perception of reality, Yaaqob tells him “I am Esav your firstborn”, I am in fact that person whom you picture in your mind’s eye as “Esav your firstborn” and therefore I am the one you truly wish to bless.[70]
Based on this, we can say that Yaaqob is telling Yitzchak the truth. Yitzchak at first did not realize what was behind Yaaqob’s
words. It was only later when Esav revealed the deceit
that had taken place and Yitzchak saw Gehinom open up
under Esav[71]
that Yitzchak realized that Yaaqob
was right, he was the one worthy of receiving the
bracha, not Esav.
The following is excerpted and edited from a paper written by Rabbi Joel David Bakst.
The extent of the Esav’s spiritual contamination was first revealed to Rivka, then to Yaaqob and finally to Yitzchak, the father of the failed messiah.[72] Matters were now a state of emergency, a “red-red” alert. The failsafe mechanism was to salvage the holy sparks of the Mashiach ben Yosef that dwelt within Esav, to redeem them and unite them with its other half, the soul of the Mashiach ben David. Yaaqob had to absorb into his being the remaining elements of the uncontaminated parts of the Mashiach ben Yosef of his brother Esav. The entire modus operandi of everything he said and did recorded in Scripture was for this purpose. Rivka and Yaaqob masterminded a spiritual conspiracy of utterly mind-boggling proportions. Yaaqob was performing cosmic surgery on the soul of his possessed twin brother to redeem the captive soul of the Mashiach ben Yosef and to transplant it into his own soul!
This is why Yaaqob had to not only act like, but also literally dress up as Esav. On the deepest level he literally become Esav, that is, the holy aspect of the Mashiach ben Yosef within Esav. In order to receive the flow of divinity that Yitzchak was blessing his son it still had to be the cosmic force of Mashiach ben Yosef and not Mashiach ben David, which was receiving it. When Yaaqob declared, “I am Esav, your first born”, he was literally occupying the “soul space” of Esav as it exists in its sacred root above. It was only afterwards that the Mashiach ben Yosef aspect of “Esav” was re-possessed by the aspect of Mashiach ben David within Yaaqob and re-united. The “holy” Esav really did get the blessings, only they were now integrated into a single individual, Yaaqob. It was messianic surgery the likes of which had never occurred before and never will again. The entire course of history pivoted upon the Patriarch “stealing” the birthright and “impersonating” Esav. He now incarnated both of the messiahs and his life was dedicated to fulfilling the mission of both Mashiach ben David and Mashiach ben Yosef. The complete “incorporation” of the Mashiach ben Yosef, however, would not culminate until the showdown with Esav’s angel, the highest root of Esav. “Yaaqob Abinu began his mission as Mashiach ben Yosef from the day that he struggled and overcame the Oversoul of Esav”.[73] It was then that the unification was complete and he received his additional name “Israel”, redefining his new entity. This is also the esoteric reason why Yaaqob was “forced” to marry Leah, who originally had been destined to marry Esav.[74]
End Rabbi Joel David Bakst comments.
On Passover of that fateful year, Yaaqob fetched two lambs from the flock and, after donning Esav’s garments, the garments of the High Priest, he prepared them as a Passover offering[75] and a festival offering.[76] He then brought the cooked meat into Yitzchak. Remember that one becomes a priest if:
1. They were the firstborn or they acquired the rights of the firstborn, the becorah.
2. They wore the priestly garments.
Yaaqob, at this point, had both requirements. Since Yitzchak believed that these two items belonged to Esav, then he expected that Esav had brought the two sacrifices and was worthy of receiving the blessing. However, what Yitzchak believed was not the truth.
In this encounter, Yaaqob represents himself as the one who is worthy of the blessing. That person in Yitzchak’s mind was named ‘Esav’. Therefore, Yaaqob stands in the place of Esav. In the following pesukim note the emphasis on the ‘firstborn’. Note also that Yitzchak needed to feel, and smell, Yitzchak in order to know if he was wearing the garments of the High Priest.
Bereshit (Genesis) 27:15-26 And Rivka took the choicest garments of Esav her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Yaaqob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck. 17 And she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Yaaqob. 18 And he came unto his father, and said: ‘My father’; and he said: ‘Here am I; who art thou, my son?’ 19 And Yaaqob said unto his father: ‘I am Esav thy first-born; I have done according as thou badest me. Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.’ 20 And Yitzchak said unto his son: ‘How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son?’ And he said: ‘Because HaShem thy God sent me good speed.’ 21 And Yitzchak said unto Yaaqob: ‘Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esav or not.’ 22 And Yaaqob went near unto Yitzchak his father; and he felt him, and said: ‘The voice is the voice of Yaaqob, but the hands are the hands of Esav.’ 23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esav’s hands; so he blessed him. 24 And he said: ‘Art thou my very son Esav?’ And he said: ‘I am.’ 25 And he said: ‘Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee.’ And he brought it near to him, and he did eat; and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26 And his father Yitzchak said unto him: ‘Come near now, and kiss me, my son.’
Notice, in v.19, that Yaaqob declares that he is the firstborn. Did he lie? (No, he had already acquired the Becorah.) Can you steal a blessing? (No, spiritual acquisitions depend on the correct acquisition.)
The Midrash comes to tell us that even as Yaaqob stood before Yitzchak to receive the blessing, even then HaShem was supporting him!
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XLIV:3 R. Hoshaya said: When Yitzchak said to Yaaqob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee,[77] perspiration poured over his legs, and his heart melted like wax; whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, provided him with two angels, one at his right and one at his left, and these supported him by the elbows, that he might not fall. Hence He said to him, ‘Be not dismayed (tishta’)’-i.e. be not wax-like (teshawa’), ‘For I am thy God’; I strengthen thee, yea, I help thee; yea, I uphold thee with My victorious right hand. Behold, they shall all be ashamed and confounded that were incensed against thee.
So, HaShem is supporting Yaaqob even as he is about to receive Yitzchak’s blessing. This certainly suggests that Yaaqob was doing exactly what HaShem wanted him to do. Further, HaShem is even encouraging Yaaqob by strengthening him at the critical moment!
Yaaqob is now strengthened and is ready to receive Yitzchak’s blessing, but what is the nature of this blessing?
Bereshit (Genesis) 27:33-36 Yitzchak trembled violently and said, ‘Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and 1 blessed him - and indeed he will be blessed!’ When Esav heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, ‘Bless me - me too, my father!’ But he said, ‘Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.’ Esav said, ‘Isn’t he rightly named Yaaqob? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: he took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!’ Then he asked, ‘Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?’[78]
We can see from the blessing that the Pshat[79] indicates that they were all material blessings. In addition to what he needs to live well, he also is given power over his brethren. From this we learn that Esav’s original mission was to subdue the earth and control the people. Esav’s mission was the physical aspect of creation. He was supposed to conquer his own evil inclination and provide the material needs for Yaaqob to carry out his spiritual mission. From this mission we can begin to understand that Yaaqob’s original mission, which he retained, involves the spiritual aspects of the world. He was to be a tent dweller. Yaaqob is described as a dweller of tents, which Chazal interpret to refer to the tents of the yeshiva of Shem and Eber.
Bereshit (Genesis) 27:33 And Yitzchak trembled very exceedingly, and said: ‘Who then is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and [I] have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.’
The Midrash tells us that HaShem prompted Yitzchak to confirm Yaaqob’s blessing.
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis LXVI:7 Again, the trembling that Yaaqob caused Yitzchak, as it says, AND YITZCHAK TREMBLED VERY EXCEEDINGLY. bringeth a snare, for in strict justice he might have cursed him, save that, ‘But whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be set up on high’; He [God] prompted him, so that he blessed him, as it says, YEA, AND HE SHALL BE BLESSED.[80]
I do not believe that Yitzchak acknowledges any wrongdoing when he says to Esav: “Who then is he who hunted venison and brought it to me, and I have eaten of it all before you came, and I blessed him? Moreover, he shall be blessed.”
The meaning of the phrase, “Moreover, he shall be blessed” is as Ramban understood it: that it is unthinkable that a person who feels a great fear over having been tricked, would say, “Moreover, he shall be blessed”:
Instead, he would curse him. And if “Moreover, he shall be blessed” is Yitzchak’s acquiescence to and justification of the deception, then we would expect Esav to cry out even more broken-heartedly, “Why did you just bless him now, my father?” For how could Esav believe that the whole episode had been a deception from the outset if he saw that Yitzchak now blessed Yaaqob of his own free will?
Therefore, according to Ramban, what Yitzchak means is: “Who is the one who deceived me and stole the blessing from you, and who will now be blessed because of his deed in bringing about a situation whereby he received your blessing?” To Ramban’s view, Yitzchak’s great fear arises not from his discovery of his mistake, but rather from his knowledge that his beloved son has lost his blessing forever.
Why does Yitzchak make no mention of Yaaqob’s deed in their next encounter?
This leaves us with the problem of why Yitzchak makes no mention whatsoever of Yaaqob’s act of deception when they next meet, nor is there any apology by Yaaqob, nor any indication of hesitation on his part in anticipation of appearing before his father:
And Rivka said to Yitzchak, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Chet; if Yaaqob takes a wife from among the daughters of Chet such as these, natives of the land, then what good is my life?” And Yitzchak called Yaaqob and he blessed him and charged him and said to him, “Do not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Rise and go to Paddan Aram, to the home of Bethuel, your father’s mother, and take a wife for yourself from there, from the daughters of Lavan, your mother’s brother. And may God Almighty bless you and cause you to be fruitful and multiply, that you may become a multitude of peoples. And may He give you the blessing of Avraham – to you and to your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land of your sojourning, which God gave to Avraham.” And Yitzchak sent Yaaqob, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Lavan, son of Bethuel the Aramean, brother of Rivka, mother of Yaaqob and Esav.
It is also difficult to understand why Rivka needs Yitzchak to send Yaaqob after she herself has commanded him to flee to her brother. Have we not already seen that Yaaqob obeys his mother, even at the heavy cost of having to deceive his father? Surely, he would obey her where there is no conflict with his father!
And one more question: Why does Yitzchak give Yaaqob the blessing of descendants and of the land, the blessing of Avraham, without any thought of giving this blessing, at least, to Esav, his firstborn?
We might say that there are two completely different blessings: the blessing of Avraham – the blessing of descendants and the blessing of the land – and a blessing for material abundance and political power. Perhaps Yaaqob had planned in advance that the blessing of abundant wealth and power would go to Esav, his firstborn, while the blessing of Avraham was meant for Yaaqob. Perhaps the blessing of Avraham is meant for Yaaqob as a consequence of the sale of the birthright. Upon discovering Yaaqob’s act of deception, Esav cries:
“Is it not appropriate that he is called Yaaqob? For he has supplanted me already twice: he has taken my birthright, and now he has also taken my blessing.”
The Chizkuni[81] says that Yaaqob did not deceive Yitzchak as he was saying ‘I (am in the place of) Esav you first born (as I am now the first born)’. Yaaqob had brought the first-born rights from Esav, therefore Yaaqob now took the place of Esav. Yaaqob is saying ‘I am now coming in the place of Esav’. One can ask on this, why did Yaaqob need to use the name Esav? Why could he not just say ‘I am your first born?’ The Rabbenu Bachya[82] explains that Yaaqob is saying ‘I am the firstborn because of Esav’. Due to Esav being the firstborn, Yitzchak wanted to give him the blessing. However, Esav has sold his birthright to Yaaqob so now he had the right to take the blessings in Esav’s place. Yaaqob is saying to Yitzchak I am Esav, Esav meaning firstborn. If Yaaqob had just said ‘I am Esav’, that would not be true as he his is not Esav, he is only Esav because of the firstborn birthright.
To understand the issue of “hands and voice” we need to learn more about the hands of Yaaqob. When we first meet Yaaqob, long before he finds his voice, we see him using his hands: “And afterwards his brother came out, his hand taking hold of Esav’s heel”. Perhaps this in utero scene foreshadows a later episode where again Yaaqob uses his hands to wrestle a “man”[83] identified as the heavenly protector of Esav.[84] Ironically, this Sar shel Esav begs Yaaqob to release him, for the time has come for him to use his voice to praise HaShem.[85] Here, then, is the paradigm, reversed: the hands of Yaaqob and the voice of Esav! We may say that the voice of Yaaqob and the hands of Esav have been established as theological concepts: the former represents prayer and Torah while the latter represent physical ‘doing’ and physical accomplishments.[86]
Bereshit (Genesis) 27:22 And Yaaqob went near unto Yitzchak his father; and he felt him, and said: ‘The voice is the voice of Yaaqob, but the hands are the hands of Esav.’
“The voice is the voice of Yaaqob[87] but the hands are the hands of Esav”. The voice expresses thought and the spiritual world, while the hands represent the realm of action.[88]
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis LXV:20 AND YAAQOB WENT NEAR UNTO YITZCHAK HIS FATHER; AND HE FELT HIM, AND SAID: THE VOICE IS THE VOICE OF YAAQOB:[89] hark, tis the voice of a wise man, while the hands are of those that strip the dead![90] Another interpretation of THE VOICE IS THE VOICE OF YAAQOB: Yaaqob wields power only by his voice; BUT THE HANDS ARE THE HANDS OF ESAV: Esav wields dominion only by his hands.[91] R. Phinehas gave another interpretation of THE VOICE IS THE VOICE OF YAAQOB: when the voice of Yaaqob withdraws within itself,[92] then THE HANDS ARE THE HANDS OF ESAV: One beckons to him, and he comes [to attack Israel]. R. Berekiah gave another interpretation of THE VOICE IS THE VOICE OF YAAQOB: when Yaaqob speaks wrathfully with his voice,[93] the hands of Esav have dominion; when his voice rings out clearly,[94] the hands of Esav have no dominion.[95]
Similarly, in Bereshit 27:28, “See my son’s fragrance is like the perfume of a field, blessed by HaShem.” The “field” is the world of action but “blessed by HaShem” means that it draws from the spiritual sphere.
Our hands represent human ingenuity, the work we do.
Hands represent our actions in our day to day living.
Hands represent the practical observance of mitzvot.
Our hands represent creative labor and our mastery over the physical world. They also symbolize human control.
The hands represent the external actions of a person, while the voice represents a person’s inner essence. The Midrash also offers an additional meaning. The power of Yaaqob lies in his voice. The voice is that of Yaaqob. Esav’s power, however, lies in his hands. Somehow, Yaaqob is himself and Yaaqob is also Esav. He has the hands of Esav!
Obviously, Yitzchak can touch the hands of Yaaqob’s and discern that they are hairy. However, Yitzchak is much more concerned with the food that ‘Esav’ had provided. Why? What is so important about the food? Yitzchak wanted to insure that ‘Esav’ was able to take the provision that HaShem provides for His world (animals on the hoof) and convert it into a form that will provide sustenance for Yaaqob and the rest of the world. He does this by having ‘Esav’ get game and prepare it in a pleasing manner. This is what Esav’s hand are meant to do. Hands are for doing.
It is Rivka that takes the actions to make the circumstances ‘right’, to make sure it is the Yaaqob character within the Esav character. The ‘hands’ have to be the hands that are capable of providing his own physical needs and also be able to provide the material needs to those around him.
Yaaqob was therefore given a blessing for material success using honest and upright tactics. “May HaShem give you of the dew of the heaven and the fatness of the earth…Nations will serve you…be a lord to your kinsmen…may they that bless you be blessed”.[96] The physical world was now in the righteous hands of Yaaqob who had become Esav, who would manage it in holiness, according to HaShem’s will.
At this point, HaShem has prophesied through Shem that Yaaqob would be served by Esav. We see that Esav has willingly sold his birthright to Yaaqob, and Yaaqob has received the blessing of the firstborn. In other words, Yaaqob has become Esav. Because he has become Esav, he needs Esav’s wife in order to complete Esav’s mission.
Bereshit (Genesis) 29:20-25 And Yaaqob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. 21 And Yaaqob said unto Laban: ‘Give me my wife, for my days are filled, that I may go in unto her.’ 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 23 And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. 24 And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid unto his daughter Leah for a handmaid. 25 And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah; and he said to Laban: ‘What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?’ 26 And Laban said: ‘It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the first-born.
Rashi, tender: Because she expected to fall into Esav’s lot, and she wept, because everyone was saying, “Rivka has two sons, and Laban has two daughters. The older [daughter] for the older [son], and the younger [daughter] for the younger [son]”.[97]
Baba Batra 123a It is written And the eyes of Leah were weak.[98] What [is meant by] weak?[99] If it is suggested [that the meaning is that her eyes were] actually weak, [is this, it may be asked,] conceivable? [If] Scripture did not speak disparagingly of an unclean animal, for it is written, of the clean beasts, and of the beasts that are not clean, [would] Scripture speak disparagingly of the righteous?[100] — But, said R. Eleazar, [the meaning of rakkoth[101] is] that her bounties were extensive. Rab said: [Her eyes were] indeed actually weak, but that was no disgrace to her but a credit; for at the crossroads[102] she heard people saying: Rivka has two sons, [and] Laban has two daughters; the elder [daughter should be married] to the elder [son] and the younger [daughter should be married] to the younger [son]. And she sat at the crossroads and inquired: ‘How does the elder one conduct himself?’[103] [And the answer came that he was] a wicked man, a highway robber.[104] ‘How does the younger man conduct himself?’ — ‘A quiet man dwelling in tents’.[105] And she wept until her eyelashes dropped.[106]
Thus we understand that Leah was destined to be Esav’s wife,[107] therefore Yaaqob, who had become Esav, married Leah. This explains why Yaaqob did not immediately divorce Leah and marry only Rachel as he had originally planned. Since Yaaqob told his Father, Yitzchak, that he was Esav, at that point he (Esav) did marry Leah, as he was destined to do.[108]
So despite being disappointed that he had not married Rachel, Yaaqob, AKA Esav, knew that he must be married to Leah.[109]
The original plan for the sons of Yitzhak and Rivka did not include estrangement, rejection or enmity. Had Esav so chosen, he and Yaaqob together would have built the Jewish people, a unified Beit Yaaqob that would have grown from both of their descendants, each of them contributing their own unique strengths to the national identity. In this scenario, each of the two sons of Yitzhak had a perfectly suited mate. Just as Yaaqob and Rachel were soul mates, Esav and Leah were meant to be together.[110] Yaaqob and Rachel were destined to form a home of complete chesed, and Esav and Leah would form a home of total din. With these forces joined and working in harmony, the product would become known as Am Israel.[111] This plan is frustrated when Esav backs out. He scorns his birthright, rejects his responsibility. Esav’s powers of judgment are not put to use in the service of God, but rather in the service of self, as part of Esav’s rebellion. Esav turns his back on the divine plan. He abdicates.
And when Esav abandons Jewish destiny, a vacuum is created; a replacement for Esav in the pantheon of Jewish leaders must be found. Yaaqob steps up. He takes Esav’s birthright upon himself, acquires the blessing that was meant for Esav, and sets out to fulfill a dual role: to fulfill the destiny of Yaaqob and fulfill HaShem’s covenant with Avraham, while at the same time fulfilling the destiny that Esav has abandoned, which will now be filled by Israel.[112]
The merger of Yaaqob and Israel is paralleled by the merger of Rachel and Leah. In fact, we are told that Rachel and Leah were one soul divided between two bodies.[113] Yaaqob had always been the soul mate of Rachel; now, enter Israel, the “replacement” spouse for Leah.
Yaaqob must now leave the tents. He must reinvent himself. He must live a dual life, and he must marry two women. He must be both Yaaqob and Israel; he must balance chesed and din. He is become Rachamim (truth).
The name Israel is given to Yaaqob as he is about to enter the Land of Israel, having built his family and his wealth, having brought to fruition the blessings meant for Esav. The name Israel is bestowed upon him when he has successfully incorporated into his personality the aspects Esav abandoned. It is bestowed after his confrontation with and victory over Esav. Yaaqob has become Esav’s attribute of din, building Am Israel together with Leah. He receives a new name as he begins to manifest his original spiritual mission. But his previous identity, his natural attribute of chesed, coexists with din; he has accepted a dual responsibility, and the duality of his name reflects this. He is married to both Rachel and Leah; he is both chesed and din, both Yaaqob and Israel.
The following table lists some comparisons between Yaaqob getting the blessing and Yaaqob getting Leah for a wife:
|
Leah Marries Yaaqob |
|
|
Rivka command Yaaqob to get the blessing intended for Esav.[114] |
Laban brings Leah to Yaaqob for a wife when he was expecting Rachel.[115] |
|
Yaaqob wore Esav’s clothes with lamb skins to identify himself as Esav.[116] |
|
|
Yitzchak was beguiled. |
|
|
Yaaqob the younger replaces the first born to receive the blessing.[119] |
Leah the firstborn replaces the younger sister as wife.[120] |
|
Yitzchak, after Esav returns, confirms the blessing on Yaaqob.[121] |
Yaaqob affirms Leah as his wife the morning after. |
|
Yaaqob flees to Paddam-aram penniless. |
Yaaqob remains penniless for 28 years. |
The Torah records that Yaaqob came to Yitzchak for the blessing, with the same word that Yaaqob came to Laban when Leah was switched for Rachel. This seems to connect these two incidents. In both cases, the one ‘beguiled’ accepts the outcome as pre-ordained and entirely correct.
Bereshit (Genesis) 27:35 And he said: ‘Thy brother came with guile בְּמִרְמָה, and hath taken away thy blessing.’
It seems that when Yaaqob came into Yitzchak for the blessing, that Yitzchak did not know that Yaaqob had purchased the becorah, the birthright, and was the true owner of the Priestly garments. However, after Esav arrived, there could be no doubt that Yaaqob had the becorah and that he rightly wore the priestly garments. Since Yaaqob had become Esav, Yitzchak confirmed the blessing. In other words, Yitzchak was beguiled, but Yaaqob still told the truth.
When Yaaqob describes what Lavan has done to him in swapping Leah for Rachel, he uses the identical term: “And why have you beguiled me?”
Bereshit (Genesis) 29:25 And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah; and he said to Laban: ‘What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled רִמִּיתָנִי me?’
In the first pasuk, Yaaqob, the younger, takes the place of Esav the elder. The younger comes first followed by the elder. This same reversal does NOT take place when it comes to marrying Leah the elder before Rachel the younger. Laban upholds the proper way. What is amazing is that just as Yaaqob becomes Esav when it came time for Yitzchak to bless him; Yaaqob also becomes Esav when it comes to marrying the one predestined to Esav.
When Yitzchak was ‘beguiled’ and the ruse was up, Yitzchak immediately confirmed his prior action even that that outcome was not what he expected.[128] This fact alone should show that the one beguiled realizes that they were not beguiled by another person so much as they beguiled themselves. After all, one cannot ‘steal’ a blessing, nor can a wedding to the ‘wrong’ person be valid. Yet, in both of these incidents, the beguiled one realizes that they were only fooling themselves.
In the same way, Yaaqob accepted Leah as his wife even that that was not his expected outcome.[129] This teaches that each of the protagonists came to realize, after they were ‘beguiled’, that this was the correct outcome and that, in some way, they should have anticipated this outcome on their own.
* * *
On the flip side, Esav, Yaaqob’s twin, did NOT marry Leah as he was destined. Just before the episode of the blessing we read: “When Esav was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief to Yitzchak and Rivka.”[130]
So, before Esav lost the blessing for the firstborn; and knowing that he was destined to marry Leah, he still married a couple of Hittite women. In some way it seems that Esav has already realized that he does not deserve Leah because he has already sold his birthright and is no longer the “Esav” who is destined to marry Leah.
There appears to be another anomaly in Yaaqob’s behavior. How is it that such a man of truth deceived Lavan regarding the division of the sheep? The agreement between Yaaqob and Lavan as stated by Yaaqob was: “Let me pass through your whole flock today, remove from there every speckled or spotted lamb, every brownish lamb among the sheep and the spotted or speckled among the goats - that will be my wage”.[132] The Torah then tells us “Yaaqob then took himself fresh rods of poplar and hazel and chestnut... he set up the rods which he had peeled in the runnels, in the water in receptacles to which the flocks came to drink, facing the flocks, so they would become stimulated when they drink. Then the flocks became stimulated by the rods and the flocks gave birth to ringed ones, speckled ones, and spotted ones... Whenever it was mating time for the early bearing flocks, Yaaqob would place the rods in the runnels, in full view of the flock to stimulate them among the rods”.[133] It appears that Yaaqob interfered and tried to influence the appearance of the as yet unborn animals in his favor. Perhaps had he let nature take its course twenty percent of the lambs born would have been spotted, and now due to the rods he had placed eighty percent will be born spotted. Is this not deceitful? How can a man like Yaaqob do such a thing?
Firstly, it is not at all clear that placing rods in the watering receptacles had any natural influence on the appearance of the animals destined to be born. Rashi, in fact, cites an opinion from Chazal that every pregnancy which took place in Lavan’s pen was accomplished supernaturally, without a male partner. The sheep would become pregnant through drinking the water.[134] With this in mind, we certainly cannot accuse Yaaqob of tampering with the sheep in his favor, for each birth was a miracle from heaven that defied any laws of nature.
Even if, however, we were to follow the other view cited in Rashi, that when the sheep saw rods with a ringed appearance, they produced ringed offspring, there were still miracles involved here that would absolve Yaaqob of any guilt. The Torah tells us that Yaaqob told Lavan, “I served you ... six years for your flocks; and you changed my wage a hundred times”.[135] For six years Yaaqob served Lavan awaiting flock as compensation, and Lavan changed the terms of this agreement one hundred times! One day he promised him spotted ones, the next day speckled. Yaaqob was told he would receive all the ringed flock, only to be told the next day that this was changed to checkered.
Let us make a simple calculation. The gestation period for a thin animal is five months.[136] This means that over a period of six years (seventy- two months) there cannot be more than fourteen cycles of pregnancy and birth. In those fourteen cycles, Lavan changed the terms of the agreement one hundred times! This means that even had Yaaqob placed a ringed rod during mating time influencing the animals gave birth to ringed offspring, what is to say that by the time the animals would give birth Yaaqob’s wages would still be in the form of ringed animals? What influence then could these rods have possibly had on Yaaqob’s earnings? A miracle was still required to ensure that the animals born were given to Yaaqob in accordance with Lavan’s final terms of agreement.
No matter how we view it, the rods had no natural effect on which sheep Yaaqob would ultimately receive. There is no basis, therefore, to claim that Yaaqob acquired his wages through deceit. When observing Yaaqob placing the rods by the sheep, Lavan could have changed the terms of the agreement on the spot so that the wages would not correspond to the rods. If he were to see ringed rods, he could have then decided that Yaaqob would only receive spotted lambs, this in fact is what he did. With all of Lavan’s changes to the terms of Yaaqob’s wages “if he would stipulate ‘speckled ones shall be your wages’, then the entire flock bore speckled ones, and if he would stipulate ‘ringed ones shall be your wages’, then the entire flock bore ringed ones”.[137] Yaaqob did not acquire the flock by deceit, but by miraculous circumstances. This was the will of the Almighty.
We have looked, in-depth, at the incidents which show Yaaqob as taking on the Role of Esav, and thereby becoming Esav. Those incidents, as we have seen, are as follows:
1. Holding onto his brother’s heel when he is born.
2. Providing Esav with cooked lentils.
3. Buying the birthright, the becorah, from Esav.
4. Wearing Esav’s garments of the High Priest when getting Yitzchak’s blessing.
5. Yaaqob brings Yitzchak food, demonstrating the “hands of Esav”.
6. Yaaqob received Yitzchak’s blessing for the firstborn, with Yitzchak’s complete agreement.
7. Marrying Leah who was destined as Esav’s wife.
8. Battling Esav’s angel and overcoming him.
9. Providing physical sustenance to Esav.
10. Receiving the additional name of ‘Israel’.
Thus, Yaaqob retained his own mission, and personality, despite becoming Esav. This is demonstrated when HaShem gave Yaaqob the name ‘Israel’.
Since Yaaqob represents truth, we must begin to understand that somehow Yaaqob has also become Esav. He has become the Becorah, the firstborn. As the Becorah he must have Yitzchak’s blessing in order to accomplish the mission of Esav. He did not lie, rather he informed his father that he had taken on Esav’s mission and therefore he required the bracha, the blessing.
Yitzchak envisioned a partnership between his two sons, and he invested his parenting in teaching them to join forces, Esav in the field and Yaaqob in the tents, as Yissachar and Zebulun would later do. Yaaqob and Esav were groomed to be team players. Esav, the fearless hunter, would be in charge of the physical world, while Yaaqob’s domain would be the spiritual world. Rivka, however, encouraged Yaaqob to abandon his father’s fantasy. She had always known that this was not the way things would unfold. HaShem had spoken to her, and she knew that only her younger son would achieve greatness. When Yaaqob became Esav, we see the Yissachar and Zebulon partnership coalesced into a single man (nation). Later on we will see this partnership displayed when Yaaqob receives a new name and becomes Israel as well as Yaaqob.
Baba Batra 17a Our Rabbis taught: There were three to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, gave a foretaste of the future world while they were still in this world, to wit, Abraham, Yitzchak, and Yaaqob. Abraham [we know] because it is written of him, [The Lord blessed Abraham] in all,[138] Yitzchak, because it is written, [And I ate] of all;[139] Yaaqob, because it is written, [For I have] all.[140]
Baba Batra 17a Our Rabbis taught: Six there were over whom the Angel of Death had no dominion,[141] namely, Abraham, Yitzchak and Yaaqob, Moses, Aaron and Miriam. Abraham, Yitzchak and Yaaqob we know because it is written in connection with them, in all, of all, all;[142]
How can we say that Yaaqob received a foretaste of Olam HaBa and that the Angel of Death had no dominion if he was the scoundrel that many make him out to be? This does not make any sense. Yet, since we know that Yaaqob was a man of truth it becomes obvious that he should have a foretaste of Olam HaBa and that the Angel of Death had no dominion over him.
When Yaaqob and Esav most glaringly when they meet again after many years of separation. Eisav refuses Yaaqob’s conciliatory gifts, saying, “I have much.” Yaaqob’s response is, “I have all”. Herein lies the difference in the philosophy of each. Esav values the physical and material. In this scenario, you may have much, but there is always room for more and, like straw, there is no intrinsic value, except in quantity. Yaaqob, on the other hand, values the spiritual. Within him is the spark of the Jewish soul, the constant connection to HaShem that contains everything he needs and, because of Yitzchak’s blessing, Yaaqob has the physical and is quite content to give it to others.
Bereshit (Genesis) 33:9-11 9 And Esav said: ‘I have enough; my brother, let that which thou hast be thine.’ And Yaaqob said: ‘Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found favour in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. 11 Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have all כֹל.’ And he urged him, and he took it.
When Esav said, “I have plenty,[143] my brother. Keep what is yours.”[144] The Sages[145] say at this point Esav conceded the becorah, the first-bornship, and blessings to Yaaqob. Esav ben Yitzchak conceded that Yaaqob had become Esav.
In return, Yaaqob, because of the blessing given by Yitzchak, says, “I have all”,[146] and I have all because I have the becorah and the blessing, I have become what Esav was supposed to be.
When Yaaqob eventually reconciles with Esav later in the narrative, he makes sure that Esav knows that he had the blessing that was intended for Esav and he was exercising it by providing physical sustenance to Esav. Yaaqob presents Esav with a gift and says:
Bereshit (Genesis) 33:11 Take now my gift (berchati - בִּרְכָתִי) which I brought to you.
Why does he use the unusual word ‘berchati - בִּרְכָתִי’ for gift? Yaaqob uses this word because it also alludes to the blessings (brachot) which he received instead of Esav. These blessings enabled him to provide physical sustenance for himself and his descendants, and still be able to provide sustenance for Esav (others). Yaaqob had become Esav and had the ability to build, and acquire, the physical and the spiritual worlds.
Chazal teach that Esav was supposed to be the fourth Patriarch[147] after Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaaqob. It makes perfect sense that if HaShem planned for four matriarchs, He would also have planned for four patriarchs.[148]
Esav was Yaaqob’s twin. His mission was the physical side of Yaaqob’s spiritual mission. His special garment which he received when he killed Nimrod were the mark of this patriarchical status.
Parashat Toledot tells the famous story of Yaaqob's actions in order to receive his father's blessing, which he intended for Esav. As Esav left at his father's behest to hunt game and prepare meat for him, Rivka dresses Yaaqob in Esav's clothing to help him convince his blind father into giving him the blessing. Interestingly, the verse describes the clothing as "bigdei Esav... ha-chamudot" - "the beautiful clothing of Esav".[149] Rashi brings two possible interpretations as to what this might mean. First, he cites Targum Onkelos' translation of the term, to mean "clean". Rashi then proceeds to cite a Midrashic explanation, which interprets "chamudot" as meaning "the coveted". The Midrash claims that Esav coveted, and then stole, this clothing from Nimrod.[150]
One passage in the Midrash[151] describes Esav’s clothing as "bigdei malkhut", royal garb. Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer adds layers of history to this coat: it is the original garments made from the sloughed skin of the serpent[152] that God gave to Adam and Eve, which was then worn by Nimrod, Esav, and Yaaqob. This same garment was given later to Yosef, as the multicolored coat. Midrash Tanchuma claims it to be the (future) High Priest’s tunic.
When Esav sinned, he forfeited that position and Esav’s mission was given to Yaaqob and Yosef.[153]
Yaaqob received the blessing for the firstborn from his father Yitzchak even though Esav was the firstborn. Since Esav had sold the birthright to Yaaqob, the blessing for the firstborn was rightfully his.
We can also see this switch from Esav to Yaaqob in the fact that Yaaqob married Leah who was destined for Esav.
Rashi[154] tells us,
“Leah’s eyes were tender, because she wept constantly in prayer that she not have to marry Esav. People used to say that since Rebecca had two sons and Laban two daughters, the elder daughter would be married to the elder son, while the younger daughter was destined to marry the younger son.” This is to say that Jacob was to marry Rachel, while his brother Esav was to wed Leah.
Ultimately, Yaaqob, instead of Esav, married Leah.
Rashi then tells us that Dinah, Yaaqob’s daughter, was destined for Esav. She would have led him to teshuva and his becoming a Patriarch.[155] Alas, this did not happen. This leads us to another interesting Rashi. When Yaaqob first left the land of Charan, he prepared to meet his wicked brother, Esau. We read that “[Yaaqob] took his two wives, his two handmaidens and his eleven sons, and he crossed the ford of the Jabbok”.[156]
Rashi asks,
Where was Dinah? Jacob had placed her in a chest and locked her in, lest Esau set his eyes on her. For this Jacob was punished, for had he not withheld her from his brother, perhaps she would have brought Esau back to the proper path. [The punishment was] that she fell into the hands of Shechem.
Ultimately, Dinah’s daughter from her union with Shechem, married Yosef HaTzaddik, the fourth patriarch.
Rav Hutner notes that whilst Yosef HaTzaddik was one of the twelve Tribes, he also seems to play a more significant role than his brothers in the development of the Jewish nation. For example, each brother represented one tribe, whereas Yosef HaTzaddik, through his two sons, Ephraim and Menashe, represented two tribes.
The Ramban writes that the Book of Bereshit is the book of the Patriarchs, and Shemot is the book of the 'children'.[157] Rav Hutner also notes a unique fact about Joseph - his death is mentioned twice; once at the end of the Book of Bereshit,[158] and once in the beginning of the book of Shemot.[159] In contrast, the death of all the other brothers is only mentioned in Shemot.
Yosef HaTzaddik is also partly considered one of the tribes, therefore his death is also mentioned in Shemot. However, he also plays a role as a kind of Patriarch, through the completion of Jacob's role. Accordingly, his death is also discussed in Bereshit. Similarly, he merits having two tribes descend from him, because he is something more than a regular tribe.[160] Yaaqob takes Yosef HaTzaddik’s two sons for himself and elevates them to the rank of tribal chiefs, thus putting Yosef HaTzaddik at the level of a Patriarch.
Each time HaShem bestows the blessing of progeny upon the Patriarchs, He refers to Himself with the Divine Name “Almighty” (Shaddai - שַׁדַּי). In fact, these are the only instances in which this Divine Name is used until this point in the Torah; it is not used in any other context.
In the last days of Yaaqob’s life, he invokes “Shaddai” twice,[161] both times in discussions with Yosef: First, Yaaqob recounts the crucial moments of his life story. Once again, the topic is children or descendants, as Yaaqob prepares to bless Yosef’s sons— the only grandchildren to receive his blessing directly.
Bereshit (Genesis) 37:2 These are the generations of Yaakov…
The story of Yaaqob is inextricably linked with Yosef; of all his sons, Yosef holds the key to Yaaqob’s legacy. The fulfillment or completeness of Yaaqob, the “generations of Yaaqob,” will be realized through Yosef.
Thus we understand that Yaaqob took on the mission of Esav and that Yosef, as the fourth patriarch, continued and completed the mission taken on by his father Yaaqob.
Clothes play an incredible role in defining Yosef’s roles and his constant role changes. Consider the following chart:
|
Until Bereshit 37:3 |
Yosef wore the same clothes as his brothers |
The clothes of the wealthy religious man. |
|
Bereshit 37:3 till 37:23 |
Yosef receives the coat of many colors. |
This was the garment of the becorah. |
|
Bereshit 37:23 |
Yosef is stripped of his coat of many colors |
The brothers reduce Yosef to just one of the sons who was worthy of death. |
|
Bereshit 37:36 |
Yosef is sold to Potiphar and wears the clothes of the chief servant. |
Yosef becomes a high-ranking slave. |
|
Bereshit 39:11 |
Yosef’s garment is taken by Potiphar’s wife and he is now without a garment. |
Yosef has been reduced to the rank of a dishonest slave and given prison clothes. |
|
Bereshit 41:14 |
Yosef was given garments suitable to wear for Paro. |
Yosef’s status is temporarily upgraded to an adviser to Paro. |
|
Sotah 36b |
Yosef returned to prison clothes and is renamed Yehosef who knows 70 languages. |
Yosef’s status is now of one favored by HaShem and destined for greatness. |
|
Bereshit 41:14 |
Yosef was given garments suitable to wear for Paro. |
Yosef’s status is temporarily upgraded to an adviser to Paro. |
|
Bereshit 41:42-43 |
Yosef was given fine linen garments. |
Yosef’s status is now second in-command to Paro. He now acts as the becorah and takes care of his family |
|
Bereshit 50:26 |
Yosef is stripped of his fine linen and given grave clothes. |
The term used to describe the coat of many colors given to Joseph is Ketonet passim - כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים. A Ketonet passim is mentioned in one other place in Tanach: II Shmuel 13:18-19, where it is worn by Tamar, the daughter of King David. It is described as a garment[162] worn by a king’s daughters[163] who are betulot. Thus, this special clothing symbolized royalty. Chazal also saw it as signifying the status of a Kohen, whose role prior to the giving of the Torah was filled by the firstborn. The Midrash[164] states that Yaaqob told Yosef[165] that he assigned him as the firstborn and gave him the special garments that God made for Adam, which had been passed to Nimrod, Avraham, Yitzchak, Esav and Yaaqob. Ramban[166] understood that a Ketonet passim is a priestly garment and the Kli Yakar[167] viewed the giving of this garment as a way of designating Yosef as the firstborn.[168]
Beresheet (Genesis) 3:21 For Adam and for his wife the Lord God made leather coats [ketonet]...
Shemot (Exodus) 28:4 And these are the garments which they shall make...an embroidered coat [ketonet]
Yosef was on the level of a patriarch while also on the level of a son of a patriarch. The Hebrew word for stone is eben. This Hebrew word is spelled with three letters. Aleph, Bet, Nun (אבן). This word is interesting when we examine words within the word. The letters Aleph, Bet, or אב is the word for father. The letters Bet, Nun or בן is the word for son. The word stone is a combination of the father and son.
Yosef personifies this idea of a even, a stone:
Bereshit (Genesis) 49:22-24 Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a fountain; its branches run over the wall. 23 The archers have dealt bitterly with him, and shot at him, and hated him; 24 But his bow abode firm, and the arms of his hands were made supple, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, from thence, from the Shepherd, the Stone (אֶבֶן) of Israel.
The idea of Yosef as a patriarch is reinforced when we see that his two sons Ephraim and Menashe are counted as tribes whenever the Bible speaks of an inheritance in the land of Israel. Now, Yaaqob was a patriarch and his 12 sons are counted as tribes whenever land is not involved. When land is involved, Levi is missing because he did not receive an inheritance in the land. Yosef is also missing abd his two sons then replace Levi and Yosef to make up the 12 tribes.
There is an interesting Pasuk which is normally understood to apply to the Bne Israel, but can just as well be applied to Yaaqob (Israel):
Shemot (Exodus) 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith HaShem, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
This suggests that HaShem caused Yaaqob to become the becorah, the firstborn, as Esav.
The Baal HaTurim[169] explains that what Yaaqob is trying to say is that he is the one about whom it says ‘… My first born son is Israel’.. This comes from the above pasuk in Shemot whereby HaShem tells Moshe to speak to Paro saying ‘… My first-born son is Israel’. This is reinforcing that Israel (another name for Yaaqob) is the firstborn. However, Esav is the one about whom it says ‘…Behold I shall kill your firstborn son’. This comes from the consecutive pasuk in Shemot[170] when HaShem tells Moshe to speak to Paro saying that He will kill all the Egyptian firstborns. Yaaqob, according to the Baal HaTurim is trying to say that there are two types of firstborns. Yaaqob is saying he is the righteous first born, the one who will inherit and Esav is the wicked first born the one that will be killed off in Mitzrayim.
* * *
The Zohar describes the First and Second Holy Temples as “the building of mortal man which has no lasting existence,” whereas the Third Holy Temple, since it is “the building of the Holy One, blessed be He,” will endure forever. The First Holy Temple corresponds to Abraham; the Second Holy Temple corresponds to Yitzchak; the Third Holy Temple corresponds to Yaaqob. And since the dominant characteristic of Yaaqob is truth, which can be neither intercepted nor changed, the Third Holy Temple will stand forever.[171]
* * *
Yaaqob is punished not because lied or stole, as in: “your brother came in deceit and took your blessing”,[172] but rather for his lack of sensitivity to his father’s feelings: “And Yitzchak trembled with a very great fear”.[173] The Zohar writes that “because of the dread that Yaaqob caused his father, Yaaqob was punished with the punishment of Yosef, for he trembled with the same fear when they told him “we found this” [upon showing him Yosef’s blood-stained coat].[174]
The Torah reveals all of our flaws, and Yaaqob was no exception. However, Yaaqob is one of our three Patriarchs for a reason. His greatness is vastly beyond our ability to even begin to appreciate. The sins that we ascribe to him are, for the most part, nonsense. If Yaaqob were to walk into the room with us, we would all be fried from his holiness. We are not able to judge Yaaqob by the standards that we judge people in our time. Compared to Yaaqob, we are not even caricatures of a dog.
Be VERY careful how you judge the folks in the Torah. Chazal speak of others who have judged holy men by the standards of their own generation and been found to be incredibly naïve.
If Yaaqob is the epitome of Emet – truth, then we need to search to understand why Chazal apply this midda to Yaaqob. Yaaqob was a VERY great man and deserves admiration and respect, not mocking and name calling. One cannot be the epitome of truth and lie and deceive. It is just not possible.
This does no mean that Yaaqob was without sin. It just means that, at our level, his sins are so unbelievably minor that we would not even begin to think of them as sins.
To assess whether Yaaqob sinned, look for the punishment. If you do not see a directly connected punishment, then what you consider to be his sin is NOT what you think.
* * *
This study was written by
Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian).
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[1] 16th-century Catholic theologian Desiderius Erasmus wrote: “Vestis virum facit,” which translates as “Clothes make the man”.
[2] Yalkut Shimoni, Sh’lach 743
[3] Rabbeinu Bachya asks, “if Yaaqob’s characteristic was “truth - Emet,” as it is identified by the Prophet, why does the Torah refer to Yaaqob as “ish tam, the perfect and wholesome person”? He explains that the word “tam” is derived from the word “teumim, twins/synthesis”. Yaaqob synthesized and brought together the prominent quality of his father Yitzchak, which was Din “perfection, exactness” with that of his grandfather Abraham, which was Chesed ”Kindness”. He adhered to these two principles in a perfect way, thus becoming the person who personifies them.
[4] It is extremely noteworthy that the name “Israel”, meaning that one has triumphed in the spiritual, was endowed specifically upon Yaaqob, for his essence was that of connecting to holiness and bringing the world within its veil. This is the ultimate mission of Yaaqob and his offspring.
[5] Tehillim (Psalms 5:6, 10:7, 24:4, 35:20 et.al.
[6] עָשׂוּ (ASU) – Exodus 1:17, the same letters as in the Hebrew name עֵשָׂו (Esav), means finished, done, complete.
Not only did Esav come forth “complete,” but that is how he thought of himself. He was already perfect; hence, he had no need to perfect himself. He knew it all; hence, he had not reason to learn any more. Woe to anyone who thinks he is already perfect. That is the kind of person who is truly finished.
[7] Yaaqob our father at the time when he was blessed by his father was sixty-three years old. (Megillah 17a
[8] Yaaqob had inherited the physical appearance of Adam but his brother, Esav, inherited Adam’s clothes (see Maharal, in Netzach Israel).
[9] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:12
[10] Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 137b
[11] Olam HaZeh: The present physical world, as opposed to the world to come (Olam HaBa).
[12] Tickling is the act of touching a part of the body so as to cause involuntary twitching movements and/or laughter.
[13] Avot d’Rabbi Nosson, the conclusion of ch. 31.
[14] The essence of the world of Asiyah is action. The story of Creation concludes with the words “that G‑d made to do (or to rectify).” The word “to do”, in Hebrew la’asot, is derived from the same word as Asiyah, action. This world is created for the sake of action, which means rectification.
[15] Bereshit (Genesis) 25:25-6
[16] Also known as Olam Asiyah, עולם עשיה in Hebrew, literally the World of Action. the last of the four spiritual worlds of the Kabbalah—Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, ‘Asiyah—based on the passage in Isaiah 43:7. According to the Masechet Atzilut, it is the region where the Ophanim rule and where they promote the hearing of prayers, support human endeavor, and combat evil. According to the system of the later Land of Israel Kabbalah, ‘Asiyah’ is the lowest of the spiritual worlds containing the Ten Heavens and the whole system of mundane Creation.
[17] According to R’ Hirsch, he did not dwell in the tents because it was simple, but because it was what he believed was the truth. He was ‘single-minded’ in his pursuit of HaShem’s highest mission.
[18] the word “ayef,” used today to mean “tired,” is used in the Torah to indicate hunger and thirst; see Ibn Ezra.
[19] Bereshit (Genesis) 25:29.
[20] Debarim (Deuteronomy) 22:27.
[21] Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 4:31.
[22] Shemot (Exodus) 15:2.
[23] Bereshit (Genesis) 25:9
[24] Bereshit (Genesis) 35:29
[25] Esav’s concern for his father is legendary. Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel in Debarim Rabbah states: “No-one honored a father more than me, yet I have found that the honour Esav showed for his father was even greater.” (Debarim Rabbah 1:15. For further sources indicating the high esteem the Sages held for Esav in the performance of this command, i.e. honoring parents, see Ishei HaTanach, Esav, Kavod Aviv.)
[26] Shemot (Exodus) 29:9
[27] Zevachim 17b
[28] Zevachim 17b
[29] Hilchot Klei HaMikdash, 10:4
[30] Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 61:10
[31] Bereshit (Genesis) 37:3
[32] Hilchot Kli HaMikdash, 10:4
[33] This is a general term that refers to all types of clothing. (e.g. Exod. 29:5, Judg. 14:13)
[34] A ‘bogged’ is a traitor.
[35] e.g. Esther 4:2, 6:8; Prov. 31:22
[36] What is the connection between Adam’s clothes and the ability to subdue animals? When G-d created the animals, He brought them before Adam and asked him to give each one of them a name. Adam was able to look into the essence of each animal and give it a name. In the Holy Language of Hebrew, the name defines the essence. A name is not conventional, it is essential. The name is the clothing of the essence. The name is the connection to the spiritual root in the upper worlds. When Nimrod wore the garments of Adam, he was able to subdue the animals because he had access to the garments of their essence, to their names. • Source: Based on the Midrash, Bereshit Rabba 37:3
[37] Tehillim (Psalms) 69:32 In Shabbat 28b this is referred to Adam.
[38] The same word is used of the vesture of the priests - cf. Vayikra (Leviticus) 8:13.
[39] Bereshit (Genesis) 3:21
[40] V. Pirke Rabbi Eliezer 20: ‘From the skin which the serpent cast off the Holy One, blessed be He, made garments of glory for Adam and for his helpmate.’
[41] Through Enoch. Seth though not actually the firstborn was privileged to be so considered on account of his piety (Mah.).
[42] Bereshit (Genesis) 8:20
[43] Bereshit (Genesis) 10:21 - E.V. ‘The elder brother of Japheth’.
[44] Prophetically.
[45] Identified with Shem.
[46] Bereshit (Genesis) 14:18
[47] From Gen. XI, 27 (q.v.) and Genesis Rabbah 38:14, it appears that he was indeed the firstborn. Mah. explains that the Midrash points out that in Abraham’s case the privilege of birthright and sacrifice was conferred upon him because of his piety, and would have been so conferred even if he were not the firstborn. Rash. and ‘E.J., however, maintain that in the view of the author of this passage, Abraham is mentioned first in Bereshit (Genesis) 11:27 merely because he was the most important.
[48] Viz. the ram.
[49] Bereshit (Genesis) 22:13
[50] Bereshit (Genesis) 25:31
[51] Rashi in the Pentateuch explains: I risk death through the sacrificial service, since its laws are so strict, many involving death (by the hand of heaven). The Midrash here probably understands it in the same sense.
[52] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:15-16
[53] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:27
[54] Bereshit (Genesis) 25:34.
[55] Bereshit (Genesis) 26:34.
[56] Makkoth 24a
[57] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:12
[58] Ibid.
[59] Bereshit (Genesis) 3:3
[60] This paragraph was excerpted and edited from a shiur given by Nechama Lebowitz.
[61] Mitzvot = HaShem’s commandments
[62] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:27
[63] Bereshit (Genesis) 25:23.
[64] Hebrews 12:14-17 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord, looking carefully lest there be any man who falls short of the grace of G-d; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and many be defiled by it; lest there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person, like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal. For you know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for a change of mind though he sought it diligently with tears.
[65] Adam originally wore the garments mentioned above in the Garden of Eden -- hence, the garments' Divine scent when Yaaqob wore them. Yaaqob, we are told, is the embodiment of Adam, and his original clothes are returned to him by Rivkah. – Zohar Toldot
[66] Buber, Toledoth 23
[67] The Pshat is the literal understanding.
[68] Yehuda Aryeh Leib Alter (15 April 1847 - 11 January 1905), also known by the title of his main work, the Sfat Emet was a Hasidic rabbi who succeeded his grandfather, Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter, as the Av beit din (head of the rabbinical court) and Rav of Gora Kalwaria, Poland (known in Yiddish as the town of Ger), and succeeded Rabbi Chanoch Heynekh HaKohen Levin of Aleksander as Rebbe of the Gerrer Hasidim.
[69] see Rashi Bereshit (Genesis) 25:27
[70] see Michtav MiEliyahu volume 1 pages 94-96
[71] see Rashi Bereshit (Genesis) 27:33
[72] Esav was the failed messiah. He was supposed to be the fourth Patriarch as well.
[73] Kol HaTor
[74] Rashi, Bereshit (Genesis) 29:17
[75] Korban Pesach
[76] Chagigah
[77] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:21
[78] Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 41:8
[79] The Pshat is the literal understanding.
[80] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:33
[81] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:19 - Hezekiah ben Manoah was a French rabbi and Bible commentator of the 13th century. He is generally known by the title of his commentary, Chizkuni.
[82] Ibid.
[83] Bereshit (Genesis) 32:25.
[84] Rashi Bereshit (Genesis) 32:25.
[85] Rashi Bereshit (Genesis) 32:27.
[86] See Talmud Bavli Gittin 57b: ‘The voice of Yaaqob’: this is the cry caused by the Emperor Vespasian who killed in the city of Betar four hundred thousand myriads, or as some say, four thousand myriads. ‘The hands are the hands of Esav’: this is the Government of Rome which has destroyed our House and burnt our Temple and driven us out of our land. Another explanation is [as follows]: ‘The voice is the voice of Yaaqob’: no prayer is effective unless the seed of Yaaqob has a part in it. ‘The hands are the hands of Esav:’ no war is successful unless the seed of Esav has a share in it. This is what R. Eleazar said: Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue; this means, thou shalt be protected from the heated contests of the tongue.
[87] The Ramban (Ramban Bereshit 27:12) reminds us that as twin brothers, (Rashbam 27:22 says as twins they would have sounded the same or similar.) their voices may have been more similar than we might care to imagine.
[88] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:27
[89] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:22
[90] This was the proverbial description of a hypocrite, ‘wise’ having the sense of pious. Thus Isaac hinted at Yaaqob’s deceit.
[91] Yaaqob exemplifies spiritual strength, Esau material might.
[92] Instead of being heard abroad-i.e. when Yaaqob ceases to engage in prayer and study.
[93] Complaining and murmuring against God (Th. and ‘E.J.)
[94] With pride in his faith.
[95] The last two comments are based on the fact that קל (voice) is spelt defectively, intimating that it is not all that it should be.
[96] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:28
[97] Baba Batra 123a
[98] Bereshit (Genesis) 29:17
[99] רכות
[100] Lit., ‘of the disgrace of the righteous’.
[101] The firstborn should receive two thirds of the estate, and all the others together one third.
[102] Where people of all classes and localities meet.
[103] Lit., ‘what are his deeds’.
[104] Lit., ‘robbing people’.
[105] Bereshit (Genesis) 25:27
[106] From their lids.
[107] Rashi, Bereshit (Genesis) 29:17
[108] Ibid.
[109] Midrash Tanchuma, Vayeitzei 11
[110] See Rashi on Bereshit (Genesis) 29:17
[111] Am Israel = Jewish people.
[112] See Shem mi’Shmuel, Parashat Vaycitzci 5679.
[113] Shaarei Leshem, Chelek Bet Siman Bet Chapter 3.
[114] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:6-8
[115] Bereshit (Genesis) 29:23
[116] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:15-16
[117] Megillah 13b
[118] Bereshit (Genesis) 29:25
[119] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:33
[120] Bereshit (Genesis) 29:26
[121] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:35
[122] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:39-40
[123] Bereshit (Genesis) 29:28
[124] Beresit (Genesis) 27:41
[125] Bereshit (Genesis) 29:30-31
[126] Bereshit (Genesis) 28:3-4
[127] Bereshit (Genesis) 29:31
[128] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:33
[129] Bereshit (Genesis) 29:27-28
[130] Bereshit (Genesis) 26:34.
[131] This section was written by HaRav Avigdor Nebenzahl
[132] Bereshit (Genesis) 30:32
[133] Bereshit (Genesis) 30:37-42
[134] see Rashi Bereshit (Genesis) 30:38
[135] Bereshit (Genesis) 31:41
[136] Bechorot 8a
[137] Bereshit (Genesis) 31:8
[138] Bereshit (Genesis) 24:1
[139] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:33
[140] Bereshit (Genesis) 28:11
[141] But they died by a ‘kiss’.
[142] And therefore they did not lack this final honour.
[143] “And Esav said: I have much” – meaning I have much but not all, but Yaaqob said: “God has shown me favor – I have all”.
[144] Bereshit (Genesis) 33:9
[145] I need to find a reference for this.
[146] Holiness, which is personified by Yaaqob, has kol, the element that “unites heaven and earth”.
[147] Shir HaShirm Zuta 1:13
[148] Esav is seen as the patriarch of Romans and Christians, who persecuted Jews for a long time, so he is viewed in a bad light.
[149] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:15
[150] Bereshit (Genesis) 10:8-9
[151] Bereshit Rabba 65:12
[152] Targum Pseudo Yonathan to Bereshit (Genesis) 3:21 21. And the LORD God made to Adam and to his wife vestures of honour from the skin of the serpent, which He had cast from him, upon the skin of their flesh, instead of that adornment which had been cast away; and He clothed them.
[153] The GRA makes the deduction that when Yosef was born, Yaaqob was then able to overpower the Angel of Esav.
[154] Bereshit (Genesis) 29:17
[155] Bereshit Rabbah 76:9
[156] Bereshit (Genesis) 32:23
[157] Ramban, Introduction to Sefer Shemot.
[158] Bereshit (Genesis) 50:26.
[159] Shemot (Exodus) 1:6.
[160] Indeed, the Sages say that he should have had twelve children who would have constituted twelve tribes, but for the moment of temptation that he felt with Potiphar's wife.
[161] Bereshit (Genesis) 48:3-4 and 49:25-26
[162] The Hebrew words for garment (beged) and traitor (boged) are similar.
[163] Apparently, it was a unisex garment.
[164] Bereshit Rabbah 97:6
[165] Bereshit 48:22
[166] Shemot (Exodus) 28:2
[167] Bereshit (Genesis) 37:3
[168] Note the subtle irony in the verse saying that Yaaqob loved Yosef because he was the youngest son, and then designating Yosef the spiritual firstborn. The Midrash Rabbah [Parashat Tzav] 10:6 and Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4 link the Ketonet (garment) of Yosef to the Ketonet of the Kohen, whose role was originally intended for the firstborn.
[169] Yaaqob ben Asher, also known as Ba’al ha-Turim as well as Rabbi Yaaqob ben Raash (Rabbeinu Asher), was probably born in the Holy Roman Empire at Cologne about 1269 and probably died at Toledo, then in the Kingdom of Castile, about 1343.
[170] Shemot (Exodus) 4:23
[171] Likutei Sichot, Vol. IX, p. 26
[172] Bereshit (Genesis) 27:35
[173] Ibid. 33
[174] Bereshit (Genesis) 37:32, Zohar Toldot 144b