(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)
“Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” Jacob went near to Isaac his father. He felt him, and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” He didn’t recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him.”
(Genesis 27:21-23)
Isaac still had doubts. His eyes could not discern the truth, but his spirit was not convinced. Deep inside he KNEW there was something off here. He KNEW who had to be standing before him. So he tested. He wanted Jacob to come closer. But Rebekah had anticipated the testing. Jacob was wearing Esau’s clothes – he smelled like Esau. Jacob had animal skin on his exposed areas – he felt hairy like Esau. Because Isaac’s senses were confirming what was supposed to be, Isaac chose to listen to them. He rejected the check in his spirit. He pushed aside his doubts. He choose to believe and accept the lie.
Jacob had three chances just here to tell the truth. He could have told it before coming close. He could have told it when he was being smelled. He could have told it when he was being felt. He could have at any time up to this admitted what was happening, accepted the consequences, and done the right thing. Jacob did not. He stuck to the lie. He embraced the deception. He did the wrong thing. He sinned.
Our feelings are not an accurate way to examine life or to determine reality. They are always cheaters. Feelings are not real. They are sensory information. We don’t have to build emotions out of them. We don’t have to give into them. We don’t have to use them to navigate life. They are not an accurate basis to determine truth. They are ever-changing, which makes them a poor foundation for anything.
Isaac chose to listen to his senses. Issac chose to give a blessing. None of this was God’s plan. None of this was at His suggestion or instruction. All of this was Isaac doing a human thing for human reasons guided by human senses. If he had listened to his spirit, or if he had checked in with the Lord, a lot of strife could have been avoided.
The Torah: A Women’s Commentary writes: ‘“Are you really my son Esau?” Isaac is not only physically blind, but on a deeper level he refuses to recognize what would be clear to any parent. Can his knowledge of his children truly be so superficial that he can only distinguish between them visually? His question indicates doubt, yet he seems to want to believe this son before him.’
The sage Rav Hirsch writes: ‘V. 23. The voice, and probably also the manner of speaking — ה׳ אלקיך — as our sages remark, Isaac recognised the voice and style of Jacob and still let himself be deceived by something so extremely external as the hand being hairy, so may it well have been in his whole life.’
The sage Radak writes: ‘ויגש…והידים, he did not examine the skin on the (supposed) smooth part of his throat. He relied solely on checking his arms.’
The sage Ramban writes: ‘COME NEAR, I PRAY THEE, THAT I MAY FEEL THEE. Rashi comments: “Isaac said to himself, ‘It is not Esau’s way to have the Name of Heaven so readily in his mouth.’” This interpretation is found in Bereshith Rabbah. But I wonder about this for Esau was not wicked in his father’s eyes! Perhaps Isaac thought that since Esau is a man of the field and his heart is set on the hunt, he is not wont to mention the Name of Heaven for fear that he might mention it in some unclean place and without proper concentration. In the eyes of his father, this was considered a manifestation of his fear of Heaven. In line with the simple meaning of Scripture, this was because of vocal recognition.’
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