(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)
“He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.” He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless you.” He brought it near to him, and he ate. He brought him wine, and he drank. His father Isaac said to him, “Come near now, and kiss me, my son.” He came near, and kissed him. He smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him, and said, “Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Yahweh has blessed.”
(Genesis 27:24-27)
Isaac had had Jacob get close enough that he could touch his son and see if he was hairy. He believed his senses and determined to bless him. But still there was doubt. He asked point blank: are you really Esau? This is the third time he spoke of his doubts. Was he really doubting, or was he giving Jacob the chance to come clean?
Jacob lies flat out for the third time right here. Again and again he had the chance to tell the truth. To come clean. To do what was right. He is holding to the deceit. He is holding to the lie. He is refusing to tell the truth.
Isaac eats the food he is craving. He enjoys his meal. But he still has no peace. So he gets Jacob to come even closer. Close enough to kiss on the cheek. Close enough to smell him. But Rebekah had thought of that. Between the animal skins and the favourite clothes of her son, Jacob smells like Esau. He smells like the outdoors. He smells like animals. Since he had eaten, and since he had now quieted his doubts four times, and since he had decided to listen to his senses over his spirit, Isaac now blesses the one he thinks is the intended son (Esau).
Jacob had walked through the entire deceit. Refused to tell the truth. Refused to act godly. Now he takes for himself the blessing meant for his brother. Now he passes the point of no return. This is the last chance he had to stop this and do the godly thing. He chose to miss it.
The Torah: A Women’s Commentary writes: ‘and he ate. Although a lover of Esau’s hunt and cooking (25:28; 27:4, 9), Isaac seems unable to distinguish Esau’s cooking from Rebekah’s. “Pray come near and kiss me, son.” For the third time, Isaac wants to make sure this is the right son. Is he really being fooled by the costume, as he was fooled by the food in the previous verse, or is he willingly allowing himself to be led through a charade? Perhaps Isaac is allowing himself to be misled; he is blind to what he chooses not to see. scent of his clothes. Isaac smells not the son before him, but the clothes in which Jacob has disguised himself.’
The sage Radak writes: ‘ולא…ויאמר אתה זה, this is a form of a question, even though it is not accompanied by the letter ה in front of the word אתה which we would have expected to introduce such a question. We find a similar construction in Kings I 1,24 אתה ומרת אדניה ימלוך אחרי? “did you (King David) say that “Adoniah will rule after me?” There are numerous similar constructions in Scripture. The reason why Yaakov phrased this as a question was that he was still not convinced that it was Esau because the voice [as well as the mode of speech. Ed.] was so similar to that of Yaakov. He was afraid of appearing as swindling Esau to whom he had promised the blessing, if he we were to bless Yaakov instead, although he loved Yaakov dearly. This is why he still continued with the examination. ויאמר…ואכלה מציד בני, as if he had said: “from your venison.” However, he used a formulation which was customary at the time. ויבא לו יין, in order to gladden his heart. In those days people generally did not drink wine with their meals unless the expression משתה, is employed by Scripture to indicate that wine was served. “And kiss me”. And he did not say “And I will kiss you”. Kissing always depends on the greater party who kisses someone of lesser status. When they are equal each one kisses his fellow as in “And each man kissed his friend”. Rather he said so (kiss me) because Yitzchak could not see Yaakov and was not able to kiss only to feel. Therefore he told his son to kiss him. ויגש…וירח את ריח בגדיו, while he was still engaged in kissing him the fragrance of Yaakov’s clothes inspired Yitzchok. We had described the fact that one kept good clothing in scented bags or wooden boxes until they would be worn again. ויברכהו, after having inhaled the pleasant fragrance of his clothes and having said: ‘ראה ריח בני כריח שדה אשר ברכו ה, that he enjoyed the odour of his clothes. Why, if he blessed him after inhaling the fragrance, does the Torah write the word ויברכהו before describing the odour of the clothing in detail? This was to tell us that Yitzchok’s heart was already gladdened by both the food and the wine so that the Holy Spirit came to rest upon him and to inspire the blessing.’
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