The Torah tells us that Rebekah, knowing what was right and divinely inspired, took matters into her own hands to make sure that Jacob, not Esau, received Isaac’s blessing. But that wasn't the only blessing Jacob received! According to the Legends of the Jews, when the spirit of the Lord came over Rebekah, "she laid her hands upon the head of Jacob and gave him her maternal blessing. It ended with the words, 'May the Lord of the world love thee, as the heart of thy affectionate mother rejoices in thee, and may He bless thee.'" What a powerful and tender image! Imagine the warmth and love that poured into that blessing.
Now, let's turn to Esau's marriages. We know that Esau's choice to marry Canaanite women caused great distress. But did you know just how much? It wasn’t just Rebekah who was troubled. Isaac suffered even more! According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, Esau's marriages were "an abomination not only in the eyes of his mother, but also in the eyes of his father. He suffered even more than Rebekah through the idolatrous practices of his daughters in-law." Why was this?
The text offers an interesting, even somewhat archaic, explanation, saying it is "the nature of man to oppose less resistance than woman to disagreeable circumstances." It uses the analogy of a bone and an earthen pot, suggesting that man, created from dust, lacks the endurance of woman, formed from bone. Intriguing, isn't it? While this might sound a little strange to our modern ears, it highlights a belief in the different strengths and sensitivities of men and women in ancient times.
The Legends of the Jews tells us that Isaac was made prematurely old by the conduct of his daughters-in-law, and he even lost his sight. Rebekah, having been accustomed to the incense burnt before idols in her childhood home, could bear it under her own roof. Isaac, however, had never experienced such things while living with his parents. "He was stung by the smoke arising from the sacrifices offered to their idols by his daughters-in-law in his own house."
But there's another layer to Isaac's failing eyesight. Remember the story of the Akeidah, the Binding of Isaac? Legends of the Jews also recounts that when Isaac lay bound upon the altar, about to be sacrificed by his father, the angels wept. "And their tears fell upon his eyes, and there they remained and weakened his sight." This adds a poignant dimension to Isaac's suffering, connecting it to one of the most emotionally charged moments in the Torah. His physical blindness becomes a symbol of the deep trauma he endured.
So, what do we take away from this? It’s a reminder that even within the grand narratives of the Torah, there are intimate, human stories unfolding. Stories of maternal love, marital discord, and the enduring impact of both blessings and trauma. It makes you wonder about the unseen burdens and hidden blessings within our own lives and families, doesn't it?