I. The Problem
How could Yaakov lie to and mislead his father? How could he have achieved such great blessings through deceitful behavior?
These questions have disturbed people for the longest time. I want to suggest that Yaakov did not fool Yitzchok at all; Yitzchok was fully aware of what was transpiring. Come with me and let's travel through the story and see what we can uncover.
II. Who was Esau?
Why was Yitzchok desirous to give the blessings to Esau? The Torah teaches us that he loved Esau כי ציד בפיו, because his (Esau's) prey was in his (Yitzchok's) mouth. While superficially this would indicate that Yitzchok loved Esau because he kept him well fed, our Sages offer a different understanding. They say that the preying referred to was Esau preying on Yitzchok. Esau used his mouth to fool Yitzchok into thinking that he was righteous, while in reality he was wicked. He would come and pose overly righteous sounding questions to his father and therefore his father loved him.
Why would a father love his son for fooling him?
Our Sages compare Esau to the pig. The pig is the only animal which does not chew its cud but has split hooves. Externally it appears to be Kosher, but internally it is unKosher. It sticks out its hooves in an attempt to trick others into thinking that it is Kosher. This was Esau. Internally he was morally corrupt, but superficially he appeared to be wonderful. He was a reflection of עולם הזה, the physical world, which has a wonderful veneer, but often what looks good on the surface is not so underneath.
III. Relationship of Yitzchok and Esau
How was Yitzchok to deal with Esau? He knew that his son was morally corrupt, but he perceived his son as fighting that corruption by trying to engage in morally proper behavior despite his internal struggles. Should he reject his flawed son who was struggling to do right?
Perceiving his son to be a reflection of the physical world, Yitzchok felt that by giving Esau the blessings of the physical world he would empower Esau to utilize that which was a reflection of himself in the pursuit of good. Yaakov, he felt, was completely devoted to spiritual pursuits and had no need for those blessings.
IV. Understanding Mother
Rivkah did not agree with this assessment. She viewed Esau's superficial behavior as being mere manipulation. Furthermore she rejected Yitzchok's notion that Yaakov had no need for the blessings of the physical world. While she was aware that Yaakov personally was an elevated soul, she knew that his offspring in generations to come, who would themselves be struggling with their own issues while trying to do good at the same time, would benefit from these blessings.
She came to Yaakov and told him to cover himself with skins so that he should appear to be Esau. Indeed what he was doing was a reflection of who Esau was. Just as Esau was primarily a superficial person, so too Yaakov was going to be Esau on a superficial level.
V. Yitzchok Figures it Out
Notice carefully what happens when Yaakov enters to receive the blessings. Yitzchok himself seems unsure of who to expect as he asks (27:18), "Who are you, my son?" Introducing his next statement (27:20) the Torah says, "Yitzchok said to his son," still without awareness of who it was. But after Yaakov responds, "That Hashem your God caused to come before me," and invoked the name of Hashem which Esau never did, Yitzchok then sees him differently. The next pasuk begins, "Yitzchok said to Yaakov." Why the change in how Yitzchok addresses him from "son" in pasuk 20 to "Yaakov" in pasuk 21?
To me it is clear that this is the Torah's way of hinting to us that Yitzchok was aware that the person standing before him carried within him the traits that defined Yaakov.
This confused him and he asked to feel Yaakov. As he felt him Yitzchok discovered that externally he resembled Esau. And now Yitzchok uttered his famous words: הקול קול יעקב והידים ידי עשיו, The voice is the voice of Yaakov and the hands are the hands of Esau. He was making it clear that while he may not have known exactly who was standing before him, but this was a person who had the traits of both Yaakov and Esau and this was the person who Yitzchok was ready to bless.
VI. The Scent
Prior to blessing him Yitzchok asked his son to come forward to kiss him. As he did so "He smelled the scent of his clothes." Our Sages teach us, "Do not read it בגדיו (his clothes) but as בוגדיו (his rebellious ones). As Yaakov stood there Yitzchok perceived the descendants of Yaakov who were sinners and yet full of Mitzvos as a pomegranate is full of seeds."
Sinners who are still performing good deeds. That was Yitzchok's perception of Esau which he was now sensing in the person who stood before him. He may not have known exactly who the person was, but it was clear to him that this was the person he wanted to bless.
VII. No Regrets
This is why we find that Yitzchok never became upset with
Yaakov for fooling him and never withdrew the blessings. He was satisfied that he had given the blessings to the person to whom he wished to give them. He recognized his initial error and never looked back.
When Esau came in and Yitzchok finally figured it all out he said to Esau, "Your brother came with trickery and took your blessings." I believe he was saying, "Your brother came and he had your trait. He was you. He took the blessings that otherwise would have been yours."
VIII. Fate's Twist
There is one interesting conclusion. Esau being the older son was supposed to marry Leah, whereas Yaakov was supposed to marry Rachel. Since Yaakov ended up being the amalgam of the two of them he ended up marrying both.
But how did he end up with Leah?
Because of trickery.
It perplexes me that many people are of the opinion that everything written in the works of the Rambam must be correct. That nothing can be added or subtracted from it, and to say the opposite is impossible. The truth is that he did not come up with the truth is every case, and in many cases what he writes is the opposite of the truth. This is well documented by many prominent Jewish Sages in their holy works. I am a poor person before his honor, like a mustard seed before a full world. Everyone knows that he stands alone and there is no one who can compare to him among the Jewish sages in wisdom, science and Torah all of which he incorporated. No one taught Halacha and the Mitzvos as he did. Still, despite the fact that everyone bows before his Yad HaChazakah there are things in it which we don't rule by. Surely that is true in other areas.
