1) My wife pointed out that it's only natural that Yitzchak, about whom we read last week "Vayeitzei Yitzchak la'suach ba'sadeh," should have an affinity for Eisav, the "ish sadeh." See her post here for (among other things) another interesting diyuk: Eisav is an "ish sadeh," but Yaakov is not called an "ish ohalim" -- he is an "ish tam," which also connects with Yitzchak, but you have to read her post for more on that.
2) Rashi writes that the two sheep which Rivka prepared for Yaakov to serve to Yitzchak were the korban pesach and korban chagigah. Malbi”m explains that Pesach is the time when we reach l’ma’alah min ha’teva. There is no way barring supernatural intervention that Klal Yisrael could have escaped the bondage of Mitzrayim and there was no way based purely on merit that we deserved to escape. “Halalu ovzei avodah zarah v’halalu ovdei avodah zarah.” Pesach means destiny trumps zechuyus/chiyuvim. The bracha of the Avos that Yitzchak was going to pass on was a bracha that transcended any and all obstacles.
"2) ...Yitzchak was going to pass on...a bracha that transcended any and all obstacles"
ReplyDeleteincluding the limit of his own natural appetite: he hungered for the chagigah, for more than one sheep!!
2) this chagigah was Rivka's way of inducing a second love [for his second son] in Yitzchak...
Delete1) Yitzchak is the place of the field, but the field is not his place [as it was Esav's, who was thus malodorous]; likewise Yaakov is the place of the tent...