The unique relationship between Yitzchak and Eisav is alluded to in the teaching of our Sages that the “head of Eisav” was buried “in the bosom of Yitzchak {his father}.”
Targum Yonason on Bereshis 50,13:
“When his (Yaacov) sons had brought him into the land of Kenaan, and the thing was heard by Eisav the Wicked, he journeyed from the mountain of Gebala with many legions, and came to Hebron, and would not suffer Yosef to bury his father in the Doubled Cave (four couples buried there). Then, forthwith went Naphtali and ran, and went down to Mitzraim, and came in that day, and brought the Instrument that Eisav had written for Yaacov, his brother, in the controversy of the Doubled Cave. And immediately he beckoned to Chushim, the son of Dan, who unsheathed the sword and struck off the head of the Wicked Eisav, and the head of Eisav rolled into the midst of the cave, and rested upon the bosom of Yitzchak, his father; and the sons of Eisav buried his body in the double field, and afterward the sons of Yaacov buried him in the cave of the doubled field; in the field which Avrohom bought for an inheritance--sepulchre, of Ephron the Hitah, over against Mamre.”
Seemingly, this is quite puzzling: According to halachah, “we may not bury a wicked person next to a righteous person.” This halachah (Tur Y.D. 13:31) was applied to the extent that (as described in Melachim II 13,21) when the body of a false prophet was cast randomly into Elisha’s grave, Hashem performed a miracle — {not any miracle, but} the miracle of resurrecting the dead: The false prophet was brought back to life to prevent him from lying next to Elisha! How, then, was it possible for Eisav’s head to have been buried “in the bosom of Yitzchak”!? (This question is accentuated particularly in light of the fact that our Sages point out that this was “the head of the wicked Eisav”!)
The explanation: Eisav was a rasha {only} owing to his body. From the vantage point of his “head,” however, he was not a rasha, since his “head” was “severed” from his body (separated from its crassness). On the contrary, he had a {positive} relationship with Yitzchak, which is why his head remained “in the bosom of Yitzchak.”
[This idea above is similar to what is explained in Chassidus about the Satan: Regarding its source Above, we say that “Satan and Peninah (Chanah’s sister-in-law) acted for the sake of Heaven” (Bava Basra 16a). But when Satan descends into this world, he turns into abject evil, to the extent that “he set his eyes upon the first Temple... and the second one, and destroyed them” (Sukkah 52a) the opposite of acting for the sake of Heaven.]
Similarly regarding Eisav: As he was “born” from Yitzchak — that is, from the perspective of his “head” and his spiritual source (from Yitzchak), in and of themselves — he was good. However, when his “head” and source {Above} descended and became connected with and invested in Eisav’s body, which was pure evil, the spark of holiness was unable to radiate therein. This dynamic concept echoes the idea expressed by the verse, “the lamp of the wicked will flicker and extinguish (Mishlei 24,20).”
Since Eisav was a descendant and Yitzchak, “the power of the father” remained within him (even though estranged and alienated from him). [The Rebbe is alluding to the Gemara (Shavuos 48a, et al) which states that האב מכח הבן כח יפה ,and in line with the explanation in Chassidus (Sefer Hamammarim 5657 p. 269) that a son has the power of his father within him.}This is especially so, for since the righteous “resemble their Creator,” there is (everlasting) holiness even in their physical labors, and surely in their descendants.
Thus, Yitzchak wanted to bless Eisav, although he understood and knew his nature and character, because “there was game in his mouth.” “Eisav’s head” (as he existed in his spiritual origin) had very lofty sparks of holiness (such as the souls of Onkelos the Convert, Rabbi Meir, and others).
From Lekutei Sichos of the Lubavticher Rebbe, Vol. 15, sicha 1
