Both Yitzchak and Rivka were aware that Esav was not the
perfect son. We see this in Parshat Toldot, Breisheet 26:34-35: “Esav was forty
years old when he married Yehudit, the daughter of Be’eri the Chitite and
Bosmat the daughter of Eylon the Chitite. They were a source of spiritual
bitterness to Yitzchak and Rivka.”
What was so bad about these wives that caused Yitzchak and
Rivka so much distress?
The Chitim were one of the seven nations that the
forefathers specifically asked their children not to marry.
Breisheet Raba 65:4 explains that these women were idol
worshippers.
Radak states that Esav specifically married these women in
order to aggravate his parents.
If that is the case, then why did Yitzchak want to bless
Esav?
Both Radak and Or HaChayim believe that Yitzchak did in fact
see Esav’s faults, yet he was hoping that giving Esav a blessing may help
improve his behavior.
Did Yitzchak’s blessing help influence Esav to become a
better person?
We do see Esav making a slight effort to please his parents
in Chapter 28:8-9: “Esav realized that the daughters of Cnaan were evil in the
eyes of his father. Esav then went to Yishmael and took Mochlat the daughter of
Yishmael, the son of Avraham and sister of Nevayot in addition to his other
wives for a wife.”
It looks from here that Esav did take notice that Yitzchak
told Yaakov not to marry the Cananite women.
According to Chizkuni, Esav thought that the reason that his
father did not bless him with the inheritance of the
marry Yishmael’s daughter then maybe he would be worthy of inheriting the
Marrying Yishmael’s daughter was a step up from marrying the
Canaanite wives yet he remained married to his first wives as it says “in
addition to his other wives”. Rashi points out that Esav did not divorce his
first wives.
It is hard to imagine that a child who strayed off of the
path will come back. However we must continue to bless all of our children.
Even Esav who seemed so far gone still said to his father in
27:32: “Bless me too, my father.”
In the end, Esav did not inherit the
However he did receive the blessing in 27:40: “…When you have cause to be
grieved, you will throw off your brother’s yoke from your neck.”
According to Rashi, if the Israelites transgress the Torah
and are undeserving of dominion, then Esav will have a right to be aggrieved that
Yaakov has taken the blessing and then Esav may cast off Yaakov’s yolk from his
neck. This is the fulfillment of Rivka’s prophecy from when she was expecting
the twins: the two sons would not be able to coexist, when one ascended, the
other would decline.
Yitzchak’s blessing for Esav was fulfilled. The Romans are
descendents of Esav and there are countless times in history that they ruled
over the Jewish people.
We learn from here that we can never give our children too
many blessings and there is no reason to exclude any of our children from being
blessed.