The story of the birth of Yaakov and Esav, their upbringing, the stolen blessing, and Yaakov's departure to Haran can be seen as two separate narratives, attempting to grapple with the problematic theme of trickery and deceit.

The synthesis of these two narratives entails drawing a distinction between the two blessings. There is the blessing of Avraham, which relates to the destiny of descendants and of the land, while the other blessing involves power and material abundance. The synthesis of these two stories also suggests that while on one hand, Yaakov and his descendants are chosen by God because of their special and unique merit, at the same time, there is also a Divine decision that has no apparent reason and does not arise from any inherent quality.

Courtesy of the Virtual Beit Midrash, Yeshivat Har Etzion