Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Genesis 27:1/אור החיים על בראשית כ״ז:א׳

אוַיְהִי כִּי זָקֵן יִצְחָק. טַעַם הוֹדָעָה זוֹ, כִּי זוֹ סִבָּה שֶׁיִּטּוֹל יַעֲקֹב אֶת הַבְּרָכוֹת כְּשֶׁלֹּא יַכִּירֵהוּ. וְאָמַר לְשׁוֹן צַעַר, שֶׁהֻצְרַךְ לִטּוֹל יַעֲקֹב הַבְּרָכוֹת עַל יְדֵי סִבָּה זוֹ וְלֹא בִּידִיעַת יִצְחָק, כִּי מִזֶּה סֻבְּבוּ כַּמָּה סִבּוֹת לִבְנֵי עַמֵּנוּ.
1 ויהי כי זקן יצחק, It came about when Isaac was old, etc. The reason that the Torah prefaces the paragraph by reporting that Isaac's eyesight failed him was to explain that Jacob took the blessings at a time when he was not afraid that his father would recognise him. The reason the paragraph is introduced with the word ויהי, which always introduces a painful episode, is to remind us that the subterfuge Jacob had to employ had many fateful consequences for the history of the Jewish people.
באֶת עֵשָׂו. וְלֹא אָמַר ״אֶל עֵשָׂו״, כִּי לֹא הָיָה רוֹאֵהוּ לוֹמַר שֶׁקְּרָאָהוּ, אֶלָּא קָרָא אֶת שְׁמוֹ.
2את עשו, Esau. The reason the Torah does not say ויקרא אל עשו, that Isaac called out to Esau, is that the latter was not present. Isaac merely called out Esau's name.
גבְּנוֹ הַגָּדוֹל. נְתִינַת טַעַם לָמָּה לֹא קָרָא לְיַעֲקֹב, כִּי זֶה הַבְּכוֹר, וְאוּלַי שֶׁלֹּא יָדַע מֵהַמֶּכֶר. וְטַעַם יִצְחָק שֶׁהָיָה חָפֵץ לְבָרֵךְ עֵשָׂו הָרָשָׁע, כִּי חָשַׁב שֶׁבְּאֶמְצָעוּת הַבְּרָכוֹת יִתְהַפֵּךְ לְמִדַּת הַטּוֹב וְיֵיטִיב דְּרָכָיו, כִּי הַצַּדִּיקִים יִכְאֲבוּ בַּעֲשׂוֹת בְּנֵיהֶם רֶשַׁע, וְהָיָה מִשְׁתַּדֵּל עִמּוֹ לְהֵיטִיב, וְאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁהָיָה מוֹעִיל. וְתִמְצָא שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (בראשית רבה פ:א) כִּי נֶעֱנַשׁ יַעֲקֹב שֶׁמָּנַע דִּינָה מֵעֵשָׂו, שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁהָיְתָה מַחְזִירַתּוֹ לַמּוּטָב, הֲרֵי שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לוֹ לַחְזוֹר לַמּוּטָב.
3בנו הגדול, his older son. The Torah may have given as the reason that Isaac called first on Esau the fact that he was the firstborn; this would presuppose that Isaac did not know about the sale of the birthright. Alternatively, Isaac may have ignored the fact of the sale of the birthright and have based himself on Esau's being the elder, biologically speaking. The reason that Isaac wanted to give the wicked Esau a blessing was that he hoped to effect a change in Esau's character on account of the blessings he would bestow on him. In view of the statement in Bereshit Rabbah 80,1 that Dinah's rape was a punishment for Jacob who had hidden her from Esau's view at the moment of reconciliation, thus preventing Esau from marrying her, we may assume that had Rebeccah and Jacob not interfered with Isaac's intention Esau might indeed have become a penitent as a result of receiving such a blessing.