1) Esav's repudiation of the birthright; 2) Esav's marriage to partners who were unacceptable to his parents; and 3) Esav's threat to kill Ya'akov in his unbridled anger after the incident of the blessings. Nevertheless, this portrayal of Esav seems inconsistent with Yitzchak's own perception of his older son. This inconsistency has troubled the commentators who have questioned how Yitzchak could have wanted to bless Esav if he was indeed so evil? How could such a righteous person not have perceived the negative traits of his son? Or, alternatively, if Yitzchak was in some way justified in his intention to bless Esav, was Rivkah then wrong in instigating the trickery that was designed to prevent it? The multitude of commentators who deal with these questions provide a wide variety of opinions as to the intention of Yitzchak in his desire to bless Esav.

Three Blessings

The variance in the opinions of the commentators reflect their different opinions regarding the significance and intent of the three blessings that Yitzchak gave to his sons. Before examining their positions, it is worthwhile to identify the three blessings:

A Personal Blessing

David Tzvi Hoffman and Shadal (Shmuel David Luzzato) are examples of commentators who believe that Yitzchak's desire to bless Esav was appropriate. They explain that the blessing that Yitzchak intended to give to Esav was a personal blessing, and was not intended to relate to his descendants. As such, this blessing should not be confused with the blessing of Avraham (ברכת אברהם) relating to the inheritance of the land of Israel and the spiritual leadership of the Jewish people.

דוד צבי הופמן: כל אחד רואה שהברכה הראשונה מוסברת על יעקב באופן אישי, ולפחות איננה מדברת בזרעו אחריו, בעוד שהשניה ניתנת, כאשר יעקב יוצא לקחת אשה, וכאן מתאימה יותר הברכה "... ויפרך וירבך"

David Tzvi Hoffman: Everyone can see that the first blessing given to Ya'akov was given on a personal basis, and does not talk at all about his descendants, while in the second blessing given to Ya'akov when he was leaving to find a wife, it is more appropriate to include the blessing “and he will make you fruitful and multiply …”

Shadal elaborates on this point:

שד"ל: כי מעולם לא עלתה על דעתו של אבינו הצדיק יצחק ע"ה, שיהיה עשו הוא היורש את הברכה הנצחית אשר נתן אלוקים לאברהם, וזה שאמר לו: "בעבור תברכך נפשי" (כז, ד), ולא מצינו במקרא ברכת נפש אלא זו, והטעם: אע"פ שהשכל והדעת אולי לא יסכימו לברכך, הנה לפחות הנפש המתאווה והמרגשת, הנהנית מן המטעמים – היא תברכך (אותך בלבד). ורבקה שמעה כל זה אך לא ירדה לסוף דעתו של צדיק… וחשבה היות כוונת יצחק להוריש לעשו את ברכת אברהם בהחלט. ושיעקב יאבד בצדקו, ולהיותו איש תם יושב אהלים כאבותיו הקדושים תילקח ממנו הברכה, אשר לפחות ראוי היה שתינתן לשניהם כאחד, כדרך שעשה אחרי כן יעקב, אשר ברך שנים עשר בניו יחד. (ביכורי העתים, תקפ"ט, עמ' 105)

Shadal: It never occurred to our father, the righteous Yitzchak, that Esav would inherit the eternal blessing that God gave to Avraham. This is reflected in his wording: “that my soul may bless you before I die” (למען תברכך נפשי בטרם אמות). We do not find the concept of a “blessing of the soul” anywhere else in the Torah. Its meaning is: “Even though rational thought would not justify a blessing for you, at least the soul which has drives, and feelings, and benefits from tastes, will bless you.” And Rivkah heard this, but did not fully understand the thinking of this righteous person,…and she thought that he intended to give Esav the blessing of Avraham completely, and that Ya'akov would lose out. She thought that he should at least give it to both of them, as Ya'akov did when he blessed all twelve sons together. (Bikkurei Ha'ittim, 1928, p.105)

Shadal explains that Rivkah misunderstood Yitzchak's intent and, therefore, felt justified in perpetrating her subversive plan so that the blessing not be unjustifiably taken from Ya'akov. Nevertheless, the fact that Yitzchak later gave Ya'akov a separate blessing demonstrates the proper intentions of Yitzchak.

A Blessing of Dominance

Many commentators do not accept the approach outlined above, particularly since the text seems sympathetic to Rivkah. Ramban, for example, explains that Yitzchak mistakenly intended to give Esav and his descendants both a physical blessing and the spiritual blessing of the legacy of Avraham.

היה בדעתו לברך אותו שיזכה הוא בברכת אברהם לנחול את הארץ, ולהיות הוא בעל הברית כי הוא הבכור.

It was his intention to bless him (Esav) so that he would acquire the blessing of Avraham to inherit the land and to be the holder of the covenant, since he was the first born.

Interestingly, in his commentary on the Torah, Shadal retracted the opinion that he had expressed in Bikkurei Itim in favor of this position.

נראה לי ברור כי …הכוונה שתהיינה הברכות האלה לו ולזרעו אחריו עד עולם. ולעניין מחשבת יצחק, נראה לי, כי רצה לברך את עשו להיותו חביב לו, כי ציד בפיו, ורצה ליחד לו ברכה והצלחה יותר מאחיו, וכמו שאמר לו "הווה גביר לאחיך", ולעקב לא היה בדעתו לברך כלל…

It seems clear to me that…the intention was that the blessings were for him (Esav) and his descendants. With regard to Yitzchak's thoughts, it appears to me that he wanted to bless Esav in order to endear him, for he provided him with food. And he wanted to give him greater blessing and success than his brother, as it says: “Be stronger than your brother”. And he did not intend to bless Ya'akov at all…

Shadal further explains that Yitzchak intended for Esav and Ya'akov to share the inheritance of Avraham, but believed that it could only be effectively shared if Esav was dominant over Ya'akov. This approach justifies Rivkah's acts to abort Yitzchak's plan. Shadal notes that once the blessing was accidentally given to Ya'akov, Yitzchak realized that God wanted Ya'akov to be stronger than Esav, and implemented the next two blessings.

Different Blessings for Different Sons

Although the approach of Ramban and Shadal seems more faithful to the simple meaning of the text, it leaves us with questions regarding Yitzchak's perception and character. Unlike the previous two approaches that either justify Yitzchak at the expense of Rivkah or justify Rivkah at the expense of Yitzchak, some commentators take an approach which finds partial merit in the actions of both Yitzchak and Rivkah. Malbim, for example, claims that Yitzchak intended to address a blessing to each of his sons based on their particular strengths and inclinations.

לכן רצה ששני בניו יהיו לעם אחד, כישראל ושבט לוי, ורצה לברך את עשו ברוב עושר ודגן ותירוש ובגבורה למלחמה ולממשלה, וזרע יעקב יהיו מיוחדים רק לעבודת ה' כשבט לוי אחרי כן, ובני עשו יספיקו להם טרפם ולחם חוקם ויגינו בעדם מכל צר כמו שעשו ישראל אח"כ לשבט לוי, וזרע עשו יהיו הממוצע בין ישראל להעמים, כמו שהיה באמת אח"כ ישראל נגד שבט לוי.

Therefore, he wanted for both of his sons to be one people, as Israel and the tribe of Levi. And he wanted to bless Esav with wealth, produce, military strength, and political power, and that the descendants of Ya'akov would be dedicated to the service of God as were the tribe of Levi later on, with the descendants of Esav providing them with food and bread, and defending them from any trouble as Israel did for the tribe of Levi. And the descendants of Esav would be the intermediary between Ya'akov and other nations, as Israel truly did later on for the tribe of Levi.

According to Sforno as well, Yitzchak envisioned a symbiotic relationship between his two sons. In this interpretation, Yitzchak intended to give a blessing to each of his sons. The first blessing, relating to physical and political success, was designed for Esav. The blessing intended for Ya'akov was “the blessing of Avraham”, the blessing relating to spiritual success. Yitzchak's plan required that Esav have political dominance over Ya'akov in order to free Ya'akov from worldly concerns so that he might dedicate himself completely to spiritual matters. Sforno translates the phrase “הוה גביר לאחיך” literally as “be strong for your brother” rather than its common translation “be stronger than your brother”.

הוה גביר לאחיך: כי חשב שיהיה טוב ליעקב שתספיק לו נחלת ארץ ישראל ושיחיה בו עם איזה שבעוד כדי שלא יטריד נפשו בענייני גשמיות…ושיהיה טוב לו שיהיה משובעד תחת אחיו…לכן בזאת הברכה שחשב לברך את עשו לא הזכיר ברכת אברהם ולא ארץ ישראל כמו שהזכיר ליעקב כשהכירו וברכו.

Be strong for your brother: Because he thought that it would be good for Ya'akov to suffice with the inheritance of the land of Israel where he would live in subordination to his brother in order that he not be bothered by physical matters…And it would be good for him to be subordinate to his brother… Therefore, in this blessing that he thought he was giving to Esav, there is no mention of the blessing of Avraham or the Land of Israel, as it is mentioned when he recognized Ya'akov and blessed him.

The explanations of Sforno and Malbim portrays Yitzchak favorably as a father who was sensitive to the different character traits of his sons, but who was somewhat naive with regard to political reality. Rivkah understood that Esav's domination would not contribute to Ya'akov's spiritual aspirations, but would, on the contrary, hamper them. This is a point that Yitzchak comes to realize as reflected in the second blessing that he gives to Esav. Thus, according to these commentators, Rivkah's plan to abort the blessing of Esav was justified, even though Yitzchak's intentions in blessing Esav were positive. This is reflected in the explanation of the Malbim:

"הנה רבקה הבינה כל כוונת יצחק איך רוצה לעשות התקשורת בין עשו ובין יעקב שיעקב יעסוק בתורה ועשו יפרנס אותו, אבל היא ידעה היטב רשעת עשו ורוע תכונתו שלא לבד שלא יהיה קליפה השומרת לפרי כי כעש יאכל וכרקב יבלה את כל…ולכן ראתה כי טוב שיבורך יעקב גם בברכת העולם הזה בעושר וממשלה ועשו יעבוד אותו…כמו שהיה בעת שהצליחו ישראל וכבשו אדום תחתם והכניסו אותם בברית מילה וטבילה בימי הורדוס."

And behold Rivkah understood the intent of Yitzchak to create a relationship between Esav andYa'akov, that Ya'akov would busy himself with Torah and Esav would support him. But she knew well the evil of Esav and his wicked character, that not only would he not be like a shell protecting the fruit, but rather like a moth that eats all and rot that destroys the crops…Therefore, she saw that it would be good for Ya'akov to also be blessed with the worldly blessings of wealth and of governance, and for Esav to serve him… as it was when Israel succeeded in conquering and subjugating Edom, and they inducted them into circumcision and ritual immersion in the time of Herod.”

The Malbim's historical reference to the subjugation of Edom, the descendants of Esav, implies Rivkah's belief that Ya'akov's control over Esav would help to raise Esav's spiritual level. In this sense, Rivkah too expresses concern not only for the political and religious welfare of the nation, but for the personal welfare of her sons and their descendants.

Conclusion

All three of the approaches that we have seen regarding Yitzchak's blessings accent the difficulties that arise in the conflict between family goals and political objectives. All of the explanations portray Yitzchak as an individual lacking the political intuition of his wife. This is consistent with Yitzchak's personality, the “עולה תמימה”, the “unblemished sacrifice”, representing the paradigm of purity. In the interpretations of Hoffman and Shadal (in Bikkurei Ha'ittim), Yitzchak's intended blessing of Esav was a reflection of his affection for his son, and had no political ramifications. Rivkah's misunderstanding of the blessing led her to an inappropriate act of deception. In the interpretations of Ramban and Shadal (in his Commentary on the Torah), his intention to give Esav the blessing of political and religious dominance was the result of his love for his first born son which blinded him to the reality of his character. This is a known psychological phenomenon that is described in Rabbinic terms as “האהבה מקלקלת את השורה”, “love disrupts codes of behavior”. Thus, according to these interpretations, Rivkah was justified in her deception. The third approach reflected in the interpretations of Sforno and Malbim also justifies Rivkah's actions, but portray a more sympathetic picture of Yitzchak as a father who grasped the strengths and weaknesses of his sons. His dream for his sons on both a personal and a political level was beautiful in theory. Unfortunately, Yitzchak in his purity of heart did not sense the subtleties of the political reality that would render his dream unrealistic.