Parashah Toldot Comments 2024
The portion (parashah) of the Torah (the five Books of Moses) we read this week is about Isaac. However, this parashah (Tol’dot, meaning “history”) seems to be more about Jacob than Isaac, and covers Jacob’s birth up to the time Isaac sends him to Haran to find a wife among the family of Laban, the brother of Rebekah, Isaac’s wife.
The popular version of how Jacob attained the right of the firstborn and the blessing that went with it is that Jacob was an unrepentant deceiver who cheated his older brother Esau out of both birthright and blessing before he came into a proper relationship with G-d Almighty.
This sounds reasonable on the face of it. The entire story runs from Genesis 25 through 35, including Jacob’s time in Haran, his dream (known as “Jacob’s Ladder”), and culminating with the burial of Isaac by both of his sons: Esau and Jacob. We will focus on Parashah Tol’dot, the first part of Jacob’s life, which sets the tone for this fashionable interpretation of Jacob’s character.
Not All “Wine and Roses”
An argument for the truthfulness of the Bible is that it is not all wine and roses. The Bible includes the negative things G-d wants us to understand about biblical heroes as well as the good and the positive. This interpretation of Jacob’s story would fit that mold. Jacob tricks Esau into selling his birthright for a bowl of gruel. Jacob, deceiving his father Isaac, successfully poses as Esau to collect the blessings that accompany the birthright.
Footnotes and First Impressions
The initial negative aroma applied to Jacob’s character by so many so-called authorities/experts is confirmed by the footnote in Bible versions given to Genesis 25:26.
The NIV footnote says “Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives,” and the ESV says “Jacob means He takes by the heel, or He cheats.”
There is more than one thing that suggests that Jacob was righteous in his conduct. The same can be said for his mother Rebekah, and even his father Isaac. I offer this opposing view for your consideration. After all, I am not here to tell you how it was, is, or will be. I am here to help you in your own life’s work.
“Tam”: Blameless, Not Crafty
In the first place, Jacob is “blameless” when you compare him to Esau:
The Hebrew word tam (tahm) is translated or interpreted “gentle,” “plain,” “stayed at home,” “inhabiting tents,” “simple,” “quiet,” “peaceful,” “content,” “civilized,” etc. Only a few translations render Jacob as “upright” or “blameless.” The NET notes acknowledge that the word is usually translated “blameless,” yet it still renders it “even-tempered.” Translators, it would seem, tend to avoid “blameless” because it contradicts assumptions that Jacob was sneaky and a “usurper.”
Yet throughout Scripture, tam commonly means “blameless” with respect to people—e.g., Deuteronomy 18:13; Job 1:1; Genesis 6:9; Joshua 24:14; Judges 9:16, 19, and more.
If one begins with a negative or skeptical posture toward the Torah, that posture can color translation and interpretation. But G-d is a majority of One. He wrote the Good Book—not us! Amen.
Esau the Hunter—A Contrast in Character
Interpreting tam as “blameless,” a positive trait, suggests that Esau’s description as a hunter is set in contrast to Jacob. The first “hunter” we think of is Nimrod (Genesis 10:9). Some traditions view him as an oppressor or one who hunted “in defiance of the LORD.” Jewish and Islamic writings often portray him as emblematic of idolatrous tyranny. See, for cultural reference, Nimrod.
Esau’s marriages also speak volumes. He marries two Hittite women—despite the family’s clear heritage of avoiding such unions (cf. Abraham sending Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac from their kin). Later, after Jacob receives Isaac’s blessing, Esau marries a daughter of Ishmael—apparently trying to curry favor. The pattern mirrors Israel’s misjudged attempt in the wilderness to “fix” disobedience without G-d’s backing, which ended in defeat.
Esau’s threat after the blessing—“Then I will kill my brother Jacob” (Genesis 27:41)—further illustrates his trajectory. In sum, Scripture attaches the darker attributes to Esau; Jacob, by contrast, is presented as tam—blameless.
Did Jacob “Steal” the Birthright?
Esau comes from the field famished and demands some stew. Jacob replies, “Sell me your birthright now.”
Esau himself devalues the birthright. Later he protests, but it is Esau—not G-d—who cries “stolen.”
Righteous Deception?
Yes, Jacob lies to Isaac. But he does so in furtherance of G-d’s covenantal plan. Scripture elsewhere commends life-preserving or covenant-protecting deception (e.g., the midwives in Exodus 1; Rahab in Joshua 2). These are “righteous lies.”
Rebekah the Prophetess and Catalyst
Rebekah is often blamed for the “scheme,” yet she is a prophetess. G-d speaks with her, and she knew before birth which child would carry the covenant. Hearing that Isaac planned to bless the wrong son, she acts decisively—preparing the food, clothing Jacob in Esau’s garments, and placing goatskins where the blind Isaac would touch them. Her strategic precision suggests divine guidance.
Rebekah is the heroine here—the catalyst aligning the moving parts so that G-d’s will, not human preference, prevails.
Isaac’s Condition
Isaac may have erred in favoring Esau, or simply been elderly, blind, and forgetful. He admits he does not know the day of his death. Either way, the narrative shows how frail human intention cannot overturn divine election.
Jacob and Messiah
Jacob is a picture of Messiah: twelve sons, paralleled by Yeshua’s twelve disciples. Like Jacob, Yeshua is a holy “deceiver” to the serpent—the adversary is outmaneuvered by G-d’s wisdom. Above all, both are presented by Scripture as blameless/innocent within their divine missions.
Closing Prayer
Father in heaven, call each of us to play a part in the accomplishment of Your will. Open our ears and our eyes to this calling, and bless us by making us vehicles of Your blessings and Your will. In Yeshua’s name, AMEN.
