זוהר, תולדות י״טZohar, Toldot 19

Segment 1א׳

תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּאָמַר יִצְחָק לְעֵשָׂו, (בראשית כ״ז:ג׳) וְצֵא הַשָּׂדֶה וְצוּדָה לִי צָיִדה, בְּה"א, וְאוּקְמוּהָ. וְנָפַק עֵשָׂו בְּגִין דְּיִתְבָּרֵךְ מִיִּצְחָק, דְּקָאֲמַר לֵיהּ, (בראשית כ״ז:ז׳) וַאֲבָרֶכְכָה לִפְנֵי יְיָ, דְּאִלּוּ אָמַר וַאֲבָרֶכְכָה וְלָא יַתִּיר, יָאוֹת. כֵּיוָן דְּאָמַר לִפְנֵי יְיָ, בְּהַהִיא שַׁעְתָּא אִזְדַּעְזַע כָּרְסֵי יְקָרָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אָמְרָה, וּמַה דְּיִפּוּק חִוְיָא מֵאִינוּן לְוָוטִין, וְיִשְׁתָּאַר יַעֲקֹב בְּהוּ.

Observe that when Isaac said to Esau: “and go out into the field, and take me venison”, he added, “I will bless thee before the Lord” (Gen. 27, 7). Now, had Isaac said simply, “that I may bless thee”, there would have been no harm. But when he uttered the words “before the Lord”, the Throne of Glory of the Almighty shook and trembled, saying: “Will the serpent now be released from his curses and Jacob become subject to them?”

Segment 2ב׳

בְּהַהִיא שַׁעְתָּא, אִזְדַּמַּן מִיכָאֵל וְאָתָא קַמֵּיהּ דְּיַעֲקֹב, וּשְׁכִינְתָּא בַּהֲדֵיהּ, וְיָדַע יִצְחָק, וְחָמָא לְגַן עֵדֶן בַּהֲדֵיהּ דְּיַעֲקֹב, וּבָרְכֵיהּ קַמֵּיהּ. וְכַד עָאל עֵשָׂו, עָאל בַּהֲדֵיהּ גֵּיהִנֹּם. וְעַל דָּא (בראשית כ״ז:ל״ג) וַיֶּחֱרַד יִצְחָק חֲרָדָה גְדוֹלָה עַד מְאֹד, דְּחָשַׁב דְּלָא הֲוָה עֵשָׂו בְּהַהוּא סִטְרָא, פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (בראשית כ״ז:ל״ג) וָאֲבֳרַכֵהוּ גַּם בָּרוּךְ יִהְיֶה.

At that moment the angel Michael, accompanied by the Shekinah, appeared before Jacob. Isaac felt all this, and he also saw the Garden of Eden beside Jacob, and so he blessed him in the presence of the angel. But when Esau entered there entered with him the Gehinnom, and thus we read: “And Isaac trembled very exceedingly”, as until that time he had not thought that Esau was of that side. “And I have blessed him”-he then said-“yea, he shall be blessed”.

Segment 3ג׳

בְּגִין כָּךְ, אִזְדַּמַּן יַעֲקֹב בְּחָכְמְתָא וּבַעֲקִימוּ דְּאַיְיתֵי בִּרְכָאן עֲלֵיהּ דְּיַעֲקֹב דְּאִיהוּ כְּגַוְונָא דְאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, וְאִתְנְטָלוּ מֵהַהוּא חִוְיָא דְאִיהוּ שְׂפַת שָׁקֶר. דְּכַמָּה שִׁקְרָא אָמַר, וְכַמָּה מִלֵּי דְשִׁקְרָא עֲבַד, בְּגִין לְאַטְעָאָה וּלְאַיְיתָאָה לְוָוטִין עַל עַלְמָא. בְּגִין כָּךְ, אֲתָא יַעֲקֹב בְּחָכְמָה וְאַטְעֵי לְאֲבוּי, בְּגִין לְאַיְיתָאָה בִּרְכָאן עַל עַלְמָא, וּלְנָטְלָא מִנֵּיהּ מַה דְּמָנַע מֵעַלְמָא, וּמִדָּה לָקֳבֵל מִדָּה הֲוָה. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב, (תהילים ק״ט:י״ז) וַיֶּאֱהַב קְלָלָה וַתְּבוֹאֵהוּ וְלֹא חָפֵץ בִּבְרָכָה וַתִּרְחַק מִמֶּנּוּ. עֲלֵיהּ כְּתִיב, (בראשית ג׳:י״ד) אָרוּר אַתָּה מִכָּל הַבְּהֵמָה וּמִכָּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה. וְאִשְׁתָּאַר בֵּיהּ לְדָרֵי דָרִין, וְאָתָא יַעֲקֹב וְנָטִיל מִנֵּיהּ בִּרְכָאן.

Jacob thus equipped himself with wisdom and cunning, so that the blessings reverted to himself who was the image of Adam, and were snatched from that serpent of “the lying lips” who acted and spoke deceitfully in order to lead astray the world and bring curses on it. Hence Jacob came with craft and misled his father with the object of bringing blessings upon the world, and to recover from the serpent what hitherto he had withheld from the world. It was measure for measure, as expressed in the verse: “Yea, he loved cursing, and it came unto him; and he delighted not in blessing, and it is far from him” (Ps. 109, 17). Concerning him it is written: “Cursed art thou from among all cattle, and from among all beasts of the field” (Gen. 3, 14). He remains in that curse for evermore, and Jacob came and took away from him the blessings;