Out of Sight
Isaac was spiritually sensitive to any form of evil. His sensitivity derived from his being offered as a sacrifice and hi eyesight was affected by the “tears” of the angels, symbolic of the angelic purity that was instilled in him from that time onward. As he matured, his spiritual sensitivity and intolerance to evil grew to the extent that it actually affected his physical ability to see the physical world around him. Isaac thus was unable to appreciate the true nature of his son Esau and wanted to give him the blessings. Isaac was totally oblivious to Esau’s true evil nature.
Isaac’s Eyes Dimmed
Isaac’s vision was dimmed and as a result he could not discern between his two sons Jacob and Esau. When Isaac wanted to bless his son Esau — thinking that this might be his last opportunity to do so — Rebecca commanded Jacob to bring food for Isaac so that he might receive the very special blessings Isaac wished to confer on Esau.
Had Isaac’s vision not been affected this confusion would not have occurred and Jacob and his heirs — the Jewish people — would not have received the blessings.
Indeed, our sages declare that the dimming of Isaac’s vision was deliberate on G-d’s part to facilitate the deception that conferred blessing on the Jewish nation.
Why Deception?
That Jacob received the blessings through deception has been amply discussed by all commentators. They suggest that it was Esau who was the real deceiver. Esau was the one who had sold the birthright for a pot of lentils, despising the birthright that represented the legacy of Abraham and Isaac. Pretending to be a loyal child, Esau spurned all that was holy and meaningful to his parents, while always posing as the faithful child. Esau was guilty of the ultimate hypocritical deception of his own father.
Jacob, conversely, was rightfully the “first born son” in the legal and spiritual sense and was therefore the rightful beneficiary of his father’s blessings.
It is odd, however, that Jacob’s receiving the blessings hinged on the fact that Isaac’s eyesight had dimmed. Had Isaac been able to see, he would have known it wasn’t Esau and he would not have blessed him. Why does blindness seem to play such a pivotal role in Jacob’s receiving of his father’s blessings?
Cause of Blindness: Spiritual Sensitivity
Let us step back and see how Isaac originally lost his sight. According to one opinion it were the tears of the angels that touched his eyes as he was about to be sacrificed by his father Abraham on Mount Moriah that adversely affected his eyesight.
According to another opinion, Isaac’s inability to see was a result of the smoke of the incense that Esau’s idolatrous wives burned to their pagan deities.
On the surface it would seem that the smoke was an irritant that physically affected his vision. There is, however, a deeper understanding of the cause and effect relationship between the idolatrous smoke and Isaac’s infirmity. And upon deeper reflection we shall see that these two events are related.
Isaac — more than any of the other Patriarchs — was spiritually sensitive to any form of evil. Isaac was the only Patriarch who was not permitted to leave the Holy Land. This sensitivity derived from his being offered as a sacrifice. The “tears” of the angels are symbolic of the angelic purity that was instilled in him from that time onward.
As he matured, his spiritual sensitivity and intolerance to evil grew to the extent that it actually affected his physical ability to see the physical world around him. Thus, he could also not tolerate to see his daughters-in-law burning incense to idols, and his sight was lost entirely. Isaac had so transformed himself that he could not see evil; it was outside his range. The more that evil existed near him, the more he became oblivious to it.
Isaac thus was unable to appreciate the true nature of his son Esau and wanted to give him the blessings. Isaac was totally oblivious to Esau’s true evil nature.
Isaac’s inability to see Esau’s evil was indicative of Isaac’s own spiritual greatness —his inability to relate to evil — that put him in a position where he could not discern between Jacob and Esau. This left Jacob no choice but to take the blessings through subterfuge.
In the Messianic Age — of which it says, “the spirit of impurity I shall remove from the earth,” we will be able to lay claim to all the blessings without the need for subterfuge and deception. Then it will be clear to Isaac that Jacob— the Jewish people — are truly deserving of all the great blessings.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Toldos by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
