Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/252

Rh :

The Book of Goicsis

234

But

might obtain the blessing.

does

this

not

justify

nor

Rebekah was blinded by What she did, was not done

Besides,

mitigate Jacob's offense.

her passionate love for Jacob.

She was even willing that the curse if need be, in order that Jacob might Her action was wrong in every way. have the blessing. But while we can not excuse Rebekah's conduct, we can still sympathize with her to an extent. We shall see, too, how for

herself

at

all.

should come upon her,

grievously she had to pay for her share in this

And

just as

Rebekah was made

to

love for Jacob, so, the rabbis told,

Isaac also

Probably

cause of his love for Esau.

sin.

sorrow because of her in

suffered be-

order to justify

told, what the Bible nowhere implies Esau was very wicked. And God had made

Jacob somewhat, they directly,

that

Isaac blind as a blessing, that he might not see

Esau was.

Probably Isaac did not count

it

how wicked

a blessing.

We

do not always know wdiat is really for our good, or that Could Isaac blessing may come even with grief and pain. have seen all the evil which Esau wrought, he would have grieved even more than he did because of his blindness. frequently,

So,

must suft'er because of the evil Therefore the Bible says truly,

loving parents

deeds of their children.

A

wise son maketh

But

a foolish son

is

a

glad father

the grief of his mother.

Esau's conduct contrasts most effectively and dramatically with Jacob's.

Whereas

the latter

was

willing that a curse

l)lessing, Esau and kindness for his blind father. His love for his father was sincere and unfailing. Even though his hatred of Jacob was all-compelling, none the less it did not e(|ual his love for his father. For once this enabled him to control his ])assion, and prompted him to defer his vengeance upon his brother until after l)efall

liis

mother, just so that he secure the

was engaged upon

Isaac's

a task of aft'ection

death, in order that the latter might be

spared the \n