Jacob blessed Esau's son but knew the blessing came from somewhere deeper than himself. "And God shall give you the dew of heaven" (Genesis 27:28) — this is the dew of Mount Hermon, the rabbis said, the highest blessing Israel knows, the kind that falls without clouds, without weather, without human cause (Psalm 133:3). The dew of Hermon is pure gift.
The blessing required the right garments. Jacob wore Esau's clothes — the priestly garments that Adam had worn first, that had passed from firstborn to firstborn through all the generations. The rabbis traced the robes all the way back: God made garments of skin for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21) — and these, transformed through the ages, became the vestments of the firstborn priesthood. Before the Tabernacle existed, the firstborn conducted the sacrifices. Esau had sold the birthright and despised the vocation. Jacob wore the garments because he understood what they were.
Rebekah's role in this story troubled some readers and confirmed others. She dressed Jacob in her older son's clothes and sent him to receive a blessing that was not originally meant for him. The rabbis did not excuse the deception — but they contextualized it: Rebekah had received a prophecy before her sons were born. She knew which one was destined to carry the covenant forward. She was not deceiving Isaac so much as aligning him with what God had already promised.
Chapter 42: Writings [1] "The earth is filled with the abundance of God's waters" (Psalms 65:10). "With the abundance of the good things that they have, they will enjoy them" (Ecclesiastes 5:18). "When the righteous are numerous in the world, good things come to the world, as it is said, 'When the righteous are many, the people rejoice'" (Proverbs 29:2). Similarly, Moses said, "So that it may go well with you and your children after you forever" (Deuteronomy 12:28), "When you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 12:28). And you find in every place that the righteous went, they brought good things with them. Jacob went to Laban's house, and good things went with him, as it is said, "And God blessed me on account of you" (Genesis 30:27), and it is said, "May the Lord bless you as you go" (Genesis 28:15). You find that Laban did not have sons until Jacob came, as it is said, "And he heard the words of Laban's sons" (Genesis 31:1). It is not written here, "Laban's daughters," but "Laban's sons." Therefore, "May the Lord bless you as you go" (Genesis 33:30). When Joseph went to Potiphar's house, good things went with him, as it is said, "And the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house because of Joseph" (Genesis 39:5). And when Jacob went to Egypt, he blessed Pharaoh, as it is said, "And Jacob blessed Pharaoh" (Genesis 47:7), so that the Nile rose to meet him. When his granaries were filled, a messenger came to Pharaoh and said to him, "The Nile has risen today to such and such a level," and immediately the famine ended. This is what is meant by "The earth is filled with the abundance of God's waters." (Psalms 65:10)
