Genesis-Chap-27
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
Genesis
Chapter 27 presents one of the most pivotal and tension-filled dramas in the
Torah. It focuses on the transition of spiritual and material leadership within
the family of Isaac and Rebekah. This chapter explores themes of destiny, the weight
of the spoken word, and the complex interpersonal dynamics between parents and
children. It highlights how the Divine promise made to Abraham continues to
unfold, often through human actions that are fraught with urgency and
conflicting intentions.
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Genesis Chapter 27, verses 1 to 46:
Whilst below the verses are the Explanation’s. (The Chapter is from JPS-1917 version
of the Torah).
Verses 1-4: “And it came to pass, that when
Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau
his elder son, and said unto him: ‘My son’; and he said unto him: ‘Here am I’. And he said: ‘Behold now, I am old, I know
not the day of my death. Now therefore take, I pray thee,
thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me
venison; and make me savoury food, such as I love, and bring
it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die’.
Explanation Verses 1-4, describes Isaac in his old age, suffering from failing eyesight.
Sensing his end may be near, he calls his eldest son, Esau, to hunt game and
prepare a meal so that he may bless him. This sets the stage by showing Isaac’s
personal preference for Esau and his desire to formalise the inheritance
through a traditional meal and blessing.
Verses 5-10: And Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke
to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring
it. And Rebekah spoke unto Jacob her son, saying: ‘Behold, I
heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying: Bring
me venison, and make me savoury food, that I may eat, and bless thee before יְהוָה
- the LORD before my death. Now therefore, my son, hearken to my voice according to that which I
command thee. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence
two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury food for thy father,
such as he loveth; and thou shalt
bring it to thy father, that he may eat, so that he may bless thee before his death’.
Explanation Verses 5-10, reveals Rebekah’s intervention. Having
overheard Isaac’s plan, she instructs Jacob to fetch two goats from the flock
so she can prepare a meal for Isaac. Her goal is to ensure that Jacob, rather
than Esau, receives the primary blessing, reflecting her understanding of the
brothers’ roles.
Verses 11-13: And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother:
‘Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 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’. And his mother said unto him: ‘Upon me be thy curse, my son; only hearken to my voice, and
go fetch me them’.
Explanation Verses 11-13, focus on Jacob’s hesitation. He fears
that because Esau is hairy and he is smooth-skinned, his father will detect the
ruse and curse him instead of blessing him. Rebekah takes the risk upon
herself, insisting that the consequences of any curse fall on her.
Verses 14-17: And he went, and fetched, and
brought them to his mother; and his mother made savoury food, such as his
father loved. And Rebekah took the choicest garments of
Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob
her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the
goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck. And
she gave the savoury food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand
of her son Jacob.
Explanation Verses 14-17, details the physical preparation of the deception. Rebekah prepares the food and uses Esau’s best garments and the skins of the goats to cover Jacob’s hands and neck, mimicking Esau’s physical feel and scent.
Verses 18-24: And he came unto his father,
and said: My father’; and he said: ‘Here am I; who art thou, my son?’ And Jacob said unto his father: ‘I am Esau 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’. And
Isaac said unto his son: ‘How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son?’
And he said: ‘Because יְהוָה
- the LORD thy אֱלֹהִים -
Elohim (God) sent me good speed’. And Isaac said unto
Jacob: ‘Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be
my very son Esau or not’. 22 And Jacob went near unto
Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said: ‘The voice is the voice of Jacob,
but the hands are the hands of Esau’. And he discerned him
not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s
hands; so he blessed him. And he said: ‘Art thou my very
son Esau?’ And he said: ‘I am’.
Explanation Verses 18-24, depict the tense encounter between Jacob and his father. Isaac is suspicious because the food was prepared so quickly and because the voice sounds like Jacob’s. However, after feeling the goat skins on Jacob’s hands, Isaac is convinced he is speaking to Esau.
Verses 25-29: 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. And his father Isaac said unto him: ‘Come near now,
and kiss me, my son’. 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 יְהוָה
- the LORD hath blessed. So אֱלֹהִים -
Elohim give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fat places of the earth, and
plenty of corn and wine. Let peoples serve thee, and
nations bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s son’s
bow down to thee. Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be every one that blesseth thee’.
Explanation Verses 25-29, contain the blessing itself. After eating and drinking, Isaac kisses Jacob and smells his garments. He blesses him with the “dew of heaven” and the “fatness of the earth”, granting him lordship over his brothers and nations. This blessing cements Jacob’s status as the carrier of the family’s future.
Verses 30-33: And it came to pass, as soon
as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out
from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his
hunting. And he also made savoury food, and brought it unto his
father; and he said unto his father: ‘Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s
venison, that thy soul may bless me’. And Isaac his father
said unto him: ‘Who art thou?’ And he said: ‘I am thy
son, thy first-born, Esau’. And Isaac 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 have blessed him? yea,
and he shall be blessed’.
Explanation Verses 30-33, describes the immediate aftermath. Just as Jacob leaves, Esau returns from the hunt and presents his meal. Isaac is seized with a “trembling”, realising he has been deceived, yet he affirms that the blessing given to Jacob shall remain valid.
Verses 34-38: When Esau heard the words of
his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said unto his
father: ‘Bless me, even me also, O my father’. And he said: ‘Thy
brother came with guile, and hath taken away thy blessing’. And
he said: ‘Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath
supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he
hath taken away my blessing’. And he said: ‘Hast thou not reserved a blessing
for me?’ And Isaac answered and said unto Esau: ‘Behold, I
have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants;
and with corn and wine have I sustained him; and what then shall I do for thee,
my son?’ And Esau said unto his father: ‘Hast thou but one
blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my
father’. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
Explanation Verses 34-38, capture’s Esau’s anguish. He cries out with a “bitter cry”, pleading for a blessing of his own. He accuses Jacob of living up to his name supplanter by taking both his birthright and now his blessing.
Verses 39-40: And Isaac his father answered
and said unto him: ‘Behold, of the fat places of the earth shall be thy
dwelling, and of the dew of heaven from above; And by thy sword
shalt thou live, and thou shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass
when thou shalt break loose, that thou shalt shake his yoke from off thy neck’.
Explanation Verses 39-40, provide Isaac’s words to Esau. It is less a blessing of prosperity and more a description of Esau’s future: he will live by the sword and serve his brother, though eventually, he will break Jacob’s “yoke” from his neck.
Verses 41-45: And Esau hated Jacob because
of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him. And Esau said in his heart: ‘Let
the days of mourning for my father be at hand; then will I slay my brother
Jacob’. And the words of Esau her elder son
were told to Rebekah; and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and
said unto him: ‘Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort
himself, purposing to kill thee. Now therefore, my son,
hearken to my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my
brother to Haran; and tarry with him a few days, until thy
brother’s fury turn away; until thy brother’s anger turn
away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him; then I will
send, and fetch thee from thence; why should I be bereaved of you both in one
day?’
Explanation Verses 41-45, focus on the fallout. Esau harbours a
deep hatred for Jacob and resolves to kill him once Isaac passes away. Rebekah
learns of this plot and advises Jacob to flee to her brother Laban in
Verse 46: And Rebekah said to Isaac: ‘I
am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth.
If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such
as these, of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?’
Explanation Verse 46, concludes the chapter with Rebekah’s strategic plea to Isaac. She expresses her dread of Jacob marrying a local Hittite woman, providing a secondary, diplomatic reason for Jacob to be sent away to her family’s homeland.
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My Closing Message:
The narrative
of Genesis 27 serves as a profound meditation on the inevitability of destiny
and the consequences of human choice. While the methods used to secure the
blessing were unconventional, the result aligned the family’s lineage with the
earlier prophecy that “the elder shall serve the younger”. This chapter reminds
us that the path of a family’s legacy is rarely a straight line; it is often
shaped by intense emotion, individual agency, and the enduring power of words
spoken in the name of the future.
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