Isaac loved Esau because he simply did not know who or what Esau was. But there is another possible answer: that Isaac loved Esau precisely because he did know what Esau was.

Introduction. The Torah relates that Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca (Genesis 25:24), went on separate paths (Genesis 25:27), Esau the hunter and Jacob the man of tents.

As many of us know, Jacob—with the help of his mother, Rebekah—deceives his father, Isaac, into thinking that he is his older twin brother, Esau, and as a result, receives the coveted blessing ...