Parashat Toledot tells the famous story of the blessing that Yitzchak sought to confer upon Esav. Rivka heard of her husband’s plan, and persuaded Yaakov to disguise as his brother and receive the blessings in his stead. As Yitzchak had instructed Esav to hunt an animal and prepare him a meat meal before receiving his blessing, Rivka, in preparing Yaakov for his ruse, told him to bring two goats which she then prepared as meat for Yitzchak (27:9).
Targum Yonatan Ben Uziel comments that Rivka prepared two goats for her husband because this incident occurred on Pesach eve. One goat served as the actual korban pesach, while the other was designated as the korban chagiga (“festival offering”) which one would eat prior to partaking of the korban pesach. Rashi cites a similar comment in the name of Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer (chapter 32): “Did Yitzchak normally eat two goats? Rather, one he offered as his paschal sacrifice, and the other was made as delicacies.”
This view of the Midrash, that the incident of Yitzchak’s blessing took place on Pesach, is in contrast to a comment of the Zohar (vol. 3, p. 258), which writes that it occurred on Rosh Hashanah. The Zohar takes note of Yitzchak’s instruction to Esav, “and make for me delicacies” (27:4), and views this command as symbolic of God’s instruction to His children, to all Benei Yisrael, to celebrate this day as a festival each year. As the Zohar writes, “How many delicacies and foods have Israel made on this day!”
This question as to when the incident of the blessing took place may actually have practical implications regarding the customs of Rosh Hashanah. The Rama (O.C. 583:1) records the well-established practice to eat apples on the holiday of Rosh Hashana. The common understanding, of course, is that the apple’s sweet flavor is symbolic of our hopes for a “sweet” year. The Maharil, cited by the Taz, explained differently, associating this custom with the Kabbalistic notion of the “chakal tapichin” (“apple orchard”). The Vilna Gaon, however, in hisBei’ur Ha-Gra, explains based on Yitzchak’s exclamation upon smelling the fragrance of Yaakov’s clothing when he brought him meat to receive the blessing: “Behold, my son’s fragrance is the fragrance of a field blessed by the Lord!” (27:27). The Gemara in Masekhet Ta’anit (29b) comments that Yitzchak refers here to the fragrance of an apple orchard. The Vilna Gaon then writes, “And this occurred on Rosh Hashanah, as is well known.” Meaning, the custom to eat apples on Rosh Hashanah serves to commemorate the event of Yitzchak’s blessing to Yaakov, which occurred on Rosh Hashanah, and during which Yitzchak smelled the fragrance of apples in Yaakov’s garments. It thus emerges that this custom follows the position of the Zohar, and is in opposition to the position of Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer which Rashi cites.