In Parshat Chayei Sarah, we read of the differing affections of Isaac and Rebecca toward their sons:
Isaac loved Esau because tzayid b’fiv (“[there was] game in his mouth”), but Rebecca loves Jacob.1
This seemingly simple verse raises a series of questions.
- Why would the righteous Isaac favor Esau—a hunter and man of the field—while Rebecca preferred the gentle Jacob, “a wholesome man, who dwells in tents?”2
- Was Isaac fooled by Esau’s behavior, or did he have a deliberate strategy in loving this wayward son?
- And what does tzayid b’fiv, literally “game in his mouth,” really mean?
Entrapment or Tasty Game?
On the surface, it seems like the phrase tzayid b’fiv simply means that Isaac enjoyed the game Esau served him, a seemingly materialistic basis for love. Indeed, Onkelos renders the phrase to mean “for he ate of his hunt,” and medieval commentators, including Ibn Ezra, Radak, and Rashbam, share this understanding.3
Rashi,4 however, citing Midrash,5 understands tzayid b’fiv figuratively, referring not to Isaac’s mouth, but to Esau’s. “Entrapment was in Esau’s mouth,” Rashi explains, meaning Esau would mask his wicked ways by pretending to be pious in his father’s presence. The Midrash recounts that Esau would ask Isaac ostentatiously righteous questions, for example, how to tithe salt or straw—substances that are not tithed at all. Such performances misled Isaac into thinking Esau was scrupulously observant.
In this reading, Esau effectively “gamed” his father’s mind with his mouth, gaining Isaac’s affection under false pretenses
The Ohr Hachaim adds that Esau targeted his charade specifically at Isaac, but not Rebbeca, who saw through his ruse. He did not bother to deceive his mother because his aim was simply to curry favor with the parent from whom he sought blessings, Isaac.6
The Dubner Maggid notes that because Rebecca grew up in the home of her father Bethuel and wily brother Laban, she was far less easily fooled than Isaac, who was raised in the holy and wholesome household of Abraham and Sarah.7
Thus, Isaac saw a dutiful son, while Rebecca saw straight through Esau’s facade.
A Father’s Love for His Eldest
Rabbi Yitzchak Abarbanel offers a different approach. In his view, Isaac’s love for Esau was natural and justified, considering the information he had. Isaac did not know of the prophecy Rebecca had received about their children: “The older shall serve the younger.” 8 Isaac assumed that the firstborn Esau was destined to inherit the Divine covenant, as was the norm. “Isaac loved Esau because he was his firstborn son,” the Abarbanel explains, pointing out a father’s innate affection for the eldest, who will carry on the family legacy. Without knowledge of G‑d’s oracle to Rebecca, Isaac naturally gravitated to Esau as the principal heir.
Abarbanel also understood tzayid b’fiv to mean that Esau would regale Issac with impressive tales of his hunting exploits and thus endeared himself to Issac.9
Did Isaac Truly Love Esau More?
Sforno takes a nuanced view, suggesting that Isaac’s love for Esau was real but not exclusive: “Isaac loved Esau … even though he surely knew Esau was not as perfect as Jacob.” Isaac was not blind to Esau’s shortcomings; he understood Jacob’s superior righteousness. Even so, he embraced Esau with fatherly love, hoping to draw him closer. By contrast, he explains, “Rebecca loved Jacob alone, for she recognized Esau’s wickedness.”10
In a similar vein, Radak argues that one should not conclude that Isaac loved Jacob less. As a righteous father, Isaac certainly loved Jacob more. Instead, the Torah emphasizes a particular aspect of Isaac’s affection: Isaac loved Esau because of the game in his mouth. This does not describe Isaac’s total love, but a situational affection that arose specifically when Esau brought him fresh game.11
The Chizkuni builds on this, drawing attention to the Hebrew grammar. For Isaac, the Torah uses the past tense—“and he loved”—signaling a non-continuous, momentary love that depended on the food Esau provided. In contrast, the Torah says “Rebecca loves Jacob,” in the present tense, reflecting a constant, unbroken, enduring love.12
In fact, Midrash HaGadol suggests that Isaac did not truly love Esau but merely “showed love to Esau in his presence in order to draw him near and influence him positively.”13
Future Potential
The Rebbe questioned the simplistic view that Esau duped Isaac. Isaac, who dug wells to find water beneath dirt, was a person who did not accept surface appearances but always bored down to the core. Would such a discerning soul not recognize his own son’s true character? The Rebbe suggests, therefore, that Isaac was well aware that Esau had negative traits, but chose to focus on his essential goodness. If you really love a person, you won’t stop at the unpleasant surface. You’ll dig deeper until you find the Divine spark within, for every person’s soul is an actual part of G‑d.
Isaac saw the fiery passion in temperamental Esau, and recognized that—if harnessed for holiness—it could be immensely powerful. He refused to give up on that hidden Divine power.
Accordingly, Isaac’s desire to bless Esau was not naive indulgence, but a deliberate attempt to redeem and uplift his wayward son. As the Rebbe explains, Isaac thought that by pouring so much positive energy into Esau, he could arouse the good inside him and enable it to dominate his personality.
The blessings of material abundance and power14 were meant to encourage Esau to use his gifts in support of holiness. Isaac envisioned a partnership: Esau would excel in the physical realm and support Jacob who would “dwell in tents of Torah”—a synergistic “two brothers, two roles” approach.
This plan, however, was contingent on Esau’s willingness to be refined, and in the end he proved unready.
Rebecca realized this and prophetically understood that the blessings had to go to Jacob, at least for the foreseeable future. Esau’s transformation would be a long process, one that could not happen in Isaac’s lifetime or in one generation.
The spiritual rehabilitation of Esau’s legacy would unfold over centuries—indeed, throughout the “exile of Edom” (our current era)—as the Jewish people gradually sublimated (and continue to sublimate) the material world. Ultimately, in the Messianic future, “the mountain of Esau” will be judged and redeemed, and those hidden powers will be manifest in holiness.15 Isaac’s love sowed the seeds for that future redemption of Esau’s sparks.16
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