“ויאמר בא אחיך במרמה, ויקח ברכתך” 27:35
“And he (Yitzchok) said, ‘Your brother came with mirmah and took your blessing.’“ Although the usual translation for ”mirmah“ is trickery, Rashi tells us here that the word means with ”wisdom.“
This whole story seems quite perplexing. The Torah tells us that Yaakov is the paragon of emes, truth. Yitzchok tells Eisav to bring him food, and then he will bless him. Rivkah has Yaakov dress up like Eisav and bring food to Yitzchok so that he can receive those brachos. There are different ways to understand this story, to explain how Yaakov did not lie and did not do anything wrong. However, with all of those explanations, why did Hashem make it that the brachos that Yaakov would receive, the brachos for Klal Yisroel for all future generations, should be given in a way that can certainly be construed as trickery? Why not have Yitzchok give them directly to Yaakov, a father blessing his child, the child whom he believes he is blessing?
The Torah uses the word “mirmah“ to explain why this was not a מקח טעות, an improper sale, which would have nullified the brachos given. The Midrash tells us that when Yaakov spoke and used the Names of Hashem, Yitzchok knew that it had to be Yaakov, for Yaakov commonly used the Names of Hashem, while Eisav never did. Why did Yaakov use the Shem Hashem when speaking to Yitzchok and trying to impersonate Eisav, who never would have used the Shem Hashem?
Yaakov wanted the brachos to have the full effect. When one gives brachos to another, in order for it to have the full effect, the one giving the brachos must have in mind the one to whom he is giving the brachos. Therefore, Yaakov wanted to create doubt in Yitzchok’s mind so that he would have in mind to give it to whichever son of his was there. “והקול קול” – There were two signs that the person there was Yaakov, for the voice sounded like his and the words he used included the Shem Hashem. On the other hand, there were two signs that it was Eisav: והידים ידי, the hands of Eisav that brought Yitzchok the food and the feel of Eisav’s hands, very hairy hands. Being that it was two signs against two signs, Yitzchok was unsure who was before him and therefore had in mind to give the brachos to whichever son was in front of him. (עוד יוסף חי)
Had Yitzchok given the brachos to Yaakov knowing that it was Yaakov, in his mind he may have been giving the brachos to Yaakov due to his great attributes. That would not be good for Klal Yisroel, for if chas v’sholom they were to veer from that, it would nullify the brachos. While we know that Yaakov’s children are zoche to the brachos through kol - Torah and tefillah – nonetheless, being that they were given cart blanche, they are brachos that are always there for Klal Yisroel. The brachos needed to be given in a way that Yitzchok would have in mind to give it to whomever was in front of him, and at the same time, in a way that after he gave it, he should realize that Yaakov was in fact the right person to have received them. Yaakov was zoche to those brachos unconditionally. We must know at all times that Hakodosh Boruch Hu loves us unconditionally, and we, in turn, must love Him unconditionally.
