Genesis Chapter 27 is Another Very Important Chapter

Is Rebecca’s scheme to take the blessing of Esau, and give it to Jacob instead a sin? Or is Jacob’s obedience to his mother against G-d?

Prior chapters have the answers.

Listen. Read. Understand.

“The Decision of Isaac to Bless Esau”
“Rebecca’s Scheme”
“Jacob Gets Isaac’s Blessing”
“Esau’s Hatred of Jacob”

And he said, “See, now, I have aged; I know not the day of my death.
27:2
Jacob said to his father, “It is I, Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me; rise up, sit and eat of my game that your soul may bless me.”
:19
Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you were so quick to find, my son?” And he said, “Because Hashem, your God, arranged it for me.”
:20
And Isaac said to Jacob, “Come close, if you please, so I can feel you, my son; are you, indeed, my son Esau or not?”
:21
But he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like the hands of Esau his brother; so he blessed him.
:23
And may God give you of the dew of the heavens and of the fatness of the earth, and abundant grain and wine.
:28
Peoples will serve you, and regimes will prostrate themselves to you; be a lord to your kinsmen, and your mother’s sons will prostrate themselves to you;…
:29
… ; cursed be they who curse you, and blessed be they who bless you.”
:29
And it was, when Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely left from the presence of isaac his father, that Esau his brother came back from his hunt.
:30
Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your firstborn son Esau.”
:32
When Esau heard his father’s word, he cried out an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me too, Father!”
:34
He said, “Is it because his name was called Jacob that he outwitted me these two times? – He took away my bithright and see, now he took away my blessing!” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
:36
Isaac answered, and said to Esau, “Behold, a lord have I made him over you, and all his kin have I given him as servants; with grain and wine have I supported him, and for you, where – what can I do, my son?”
:37
And Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, Father? Bless me too, Father!” And Esau raised his voice and wept.
:38
By your sword you shall live, but your brother you shall serve; yet it shall be that when you are aggreived, you may cast of his yoke from upon your neck.”
:40
Rebecca said to Isaac, I am disgusted with my life on account of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth like these, of the daughters of the land, what is life to me?”.
:46

1 It came to pass when Isaac was old, and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called Esau his elder son, and he said to him, “My son,” and he said to him, “Here I am.”
2 And he said, “Behold now, I have grown old; I do not know the day of my death.
3 So, now, sharpen your implements, your sword [and take] your bow, and go forth to the field, and hunt game for me.
4 And make for me tasty foods as I like, and bring them to me, and I will eat, in order that my soul will bless you before I die.”
5 But Rebecca overheard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son, and Esau went to the field to hunt game, to bring [it].
6 And Rebecca said to Jacob her son, saying, “Behold I have heard your father speaking to Esau your brother, saying,
7 ‘Bring me game and make me tasty foods, and I will eat, and I will bless you before the Lord before my death.’
8 And now my son, hearken to my voice, to what I am commanding you.
9 Go now to the flock, and take for me from there two choice kids, and I will make them tasty foods for your father, as he likes.
10 And you shall bring [them] to your father that he may eat, in order that he bless you before his death.”
11 And Jacob said to Rebecca his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, whereas I am a smooth man.
12 Perhaps my father will touch me, and I will appear to him as a deceiver, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.”
13 And his mother said to him, “On me is your curse, my son. Only hearken to my voice and go, take [them] for me.”
14 So he went, and he took, and he brought [them] to his mother, and his mother made tasty foods, as his father liked.
15 And Rebecca took the costly garments of Esau, her elder son, which were with her in the house, and she dressed Jacob, her younger son.
16 And the hides of the kids she put on his hands and on the smoothness of his neck.
17 And she gave the tasty foods and the bread that she had made, into the hand of Jacob her son.
18 And he came to his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”
19 And Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you have spoken to me. Please rise, sit down and eat of my game, so that your soul will bless me.”
20 And Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found [it] so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God prepared it before me.”
21 And Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come closer, so that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”
22 So Jacob drew near to Isaac his father, and he felt him, and he said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
23 And he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like the hands of his brother Esau, and he blessed him.
24 And he said, “Are you [indeed] my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.”
25 And he said, “Serve [it] to me that I may eat of the game of my son, so that my soul will bless you.” And he served him, and he ate, and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 And his father Isaac said to him, “Please come closer and kiss me, my son.”
27 And he came closer, and he kissed him, and he smelled the fragrance of his garments, and he blessed him, and he said, “Behold, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field, which the Lord has blessed!
28 And may the Lord give you of the dew of the heavens and [of] the fatness of the earth and an abundance of grain and wine.
29 Nations shall serve you and kingdoms shall bow down to you; you shall be a master over your brothers, and your mother’s sons shall bow down to you. Those who curse you shall be cursed, and those who bless you shall be blessed.”
30 And it came to pass, when Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and it came to pass Jacob had just left his father Isaac’s presence, that his brother Esau came from his hunt.
31 And he too had made tasty foods, and he brought [them] to his father, and he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of the game of his son, so that your soul will bless me. “
32 And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”
33 And Isaac shuddered a great shudder, and he said, “Who then is the one who hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate of everything while you had not yet come, and I blessed him? He, too, shall be blessed.”
34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he cried out a great and bitter cry, and he said to his father, “Bless me too, O my father!”
35 And he said, “Your brother came with cunning and took your blessing.”
36 And he said, “Is it for this reason that he was named Jacob? For he has deceived me twice; he took my birthright, and behold, now he has taken my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
37 And Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I made him a master over you, and I gave him all his brothers as servants, and I have sustained him with corn and wine; so for you then, what shall I do, my son?”
38 And Esau said to his father, “Have you [but] one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father.” And Esau raised his voice and wept.
39 And his father Isaac answered and said to him, “Behold, your dwelling place shall be the fat places of the earth and of the dew of the heaven from above.
40 And you shall live by your sword, and you shall serve your brother, and it will be, when you grieve, that you will break his yoke off your neck.”
41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing that his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “Let the days of mourning for my father draw near, I will then kill my brother Jacob. “
42 And Rebecca was told of the words of Esau, her elder son, and she sent and called Jacob, her younger son, and she said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau regrets [his relationship] to you [and wishes] to kill you.
43 And now, my son, hearken to my voice, and arise, flee to my brother Laban, to Haran.
44 And you shall dwell with him for a few days until your brother’s wrath has subsided.
45 Until your brother’s rage subsides from you, and he forgets what you did to him, and I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of both of you on one day?”
46 And Rebecca said to Isaac, “I am disgusted with my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth like these, from the daughters of the land, of what use is life to me?”