The portion of the text quoted below is only that which directly describes how Ya’akov and Eisav looked, and what happened as a result. The entire story is too long to be included in this page, but it should be studied in its entirety, as should the related commentary. While below I quote the parts related to Eisav’s and Ya’akov’s relative hairiness, of course the part deleted, describing the process through which Ya’akov obtained the birthright and blessings, is far more important.
| Genesis 25:21 | And … Rivka became pregnant… | … וַתַּהַר רִבְקָה …׃ |
| 25:24 | … [with] twins… | … וְהִנֵּה תוֹמִם …׃ |
| 25:25 | And the first emerged red and hairy all over, and they named him Esau (“Hairy”). | וַיֵּצֵא הָרִאשׁוֹן אַדְמוֹנִי כֻּלּוֹ כְּאַדֶּרֶת שֵׂעָר וַיִּקְרְאוּ שְׁמוֹ עֵשָׂו׃ |
| 27:1 | When Isaac was old and his eyes grew too dark to see, he called … Esau … | וַיְהִי כִּי־זָקֵן יִצְחָק וַתִּכְהֶיןָ עֵינָיו מֵרְאֹת וַיִּקְרָא אֶת־עֵשָׂו …׃ |
| 27:2 | And he said… | וַיֹּאמֶר …׃ |
| 27:3 | “And now, take your … quiver and bow, and go to the fields and hunt game for me. | וְעַתָּה שָׂא־נָא … תֶּלְיְךָ וְקַשְׁתֶּךָ וְצֵא הַשָּׂדֶה וְצוּדָה לִּי (צידה) [צָיִד]׃ |
| 27:4 | “And make me tasty food that I love, and I will eat, so that I will give you a blessing from my soul, before I die. | וַעֲשֵׂה־לִי מַטְעַמִּים כַּאֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתִּי וְהָבִיאָה לִּי וְאֹכֵלָה בַּעֲבוּר תְּבָרֶכְךָ נַפְשִׁי בְּטֶרֶם אָמוּת׃ |
| 27:15 | And Rivka then …; | וַ… רִבְקָה …׃ |
| 27:16 | …covered his hands and the hairless part of his neck with the (hairy) goat skins…. | וְאֵת עֹרֹת גְּדָיֵי הָעִזִּים הִלְבִּישָׁה עַל־יָדָיו וְעַל חֶלְקַת צַוָּארָיו׃ |
| 27:21 | Then Itzchak said to Ya’akov: “Please come near, so that I may feel you, my son—whether you are really my son Esau or not.” | וַיֹּאמֶר יִצְחָק אֶל־יַעֲקֹב גְּשָׁה־נָּא וַאֲמֻשְׁךָ בְּנִי הַאַתָּה זֶה בְּנִי עֵשָׂו אִם־לֹא׃ |
| 27:22 | So Jacob drew close to his father Isaac, who felt him and wondered. “The voice is the voice of Jacob, yet the hands are the hands of Esau.” | וַיִּגַּשׁ יַעֲקֹב אֶל־יִצְחָק אָבִיו וַיְמֻשֵּׁהוּ וַיֹּאמֶר הַקֹּל קוֹל יַעֲקֹב וְהַיָּדַיִם יְדֵי עֵשָׂו׃ |
| 27:23 | He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; and so he blessed him. | וְלֹא הִכִּירוֹ כִּי־הָיוּ יָדָיו כִּידֵי עֵשָׂו אָחִיו שְׂעִרֹת וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ׃ |
Ingredients as Shown:
- 2 gingerman cookies, ideally one with red sugar
- Raisins
- Red or orange fruit leather (or dried cranberries)
- 1 large marshmallow (or dried apricot)
- 1 pretzel stick
Tools:
- Scissors
Instructions:
- Cut small slivers from a raisin to make eyes. Press on to both gingerbread men to make eyes.
- Cut a sliver from the red fruit leather or dried cranberry (I wanted to use cranberries, but the ones I got this time were not sticky inside!). Shape into a smile and place on gingerbread men.
3. Add red hair for Eisav consisting of dried cranberry or fruit leather piece(s). Adding hair for Yitzchak is optional. To make the dried fruit stick, first cut the fruit open to expose the inner sticky part, then cut to size as desired, press in place with sticky side touching the cookie.
4. Optional: add body hair for Eisav. Take some pieces of fruit leather. Cut to shape to fit over the Eisav gingerbread man. Cut small snips to look like “hair” (ok, this looks more like fringes, but it was the best I could to today).
5. Add accessories.
Cut the top part of the marshmallow.
Cut the edge off (or the edge of the apricot) to make the bow string.
Snap the pretzel stick so it is the right size to be a bow for Eisav. Press the two together as shown, place with Eisav.
Press the snapped off part into the cut side of the marshmallow to signify a spoon stirring a pot.
Give that to Ya’akov.
There you go!