Before returning to Canaan, Yaakov sent a massive gift to his brother Eisav, hoping to make amends for having “stolen” Yitzchok’s blessing decades earlier (B’reishis 32:14-21). Initially, Eisav declined (33:9), but Yaakov persisted, asking Eisav to “take my present from my hand” (33:10) followed by asking him to “take now my blessing that was brought to you” or to “please take my blessing that was brought to you” (33:11) — depending on how the word “na” is used. Since the point of the gift was to undo the damage their relationship had suffered when Yitzchok blessed Yaakov instead of Eisav (see 27:41), Yaakov’s choice of wording seems to be a poor one. Why use the word “blessing” to describe his gift if it was because of a blessing that there was such tension in the first place?

Rashi is among the commentators who explain that the word “blessing,” in the right context, can refer to a gift. Although this helps us understand how the word can be used in this context, it doesn’t explain why Yaakov would use it here if it’s primary meaning would remind Eisav of what he had done. It is particularly perplexing since Yaakov had been using the word “mincha” until now, including in the same statement (in the previous verse). The very fact that Yaakov repeated a similar thought (“take my present” and “take my blessing”) indicates a deeper message than just asking Eisav twice (more) in rapid succession to accept his gift.

Last year (http://rabbidmk.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/parashas-vayishlach-5774/), I addressed this issue (among others), suggesting that Yaakov was offering to return their father’s blessing to Eisav, an offer that Eisav turned down. As I have explained on numerous occasions (e.g. http://rabbidmk.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/parashas-toldos-5775/), the blessing Yitzchok wanted to give Eisav was not “the blessing of Avraham,” as that was given to Yaakov before he fled to Charan (28:4). Rather, it was a blessing for material prosperity. Yitzchok thought (was hoping?) that Eisav and Yaakov could work together, with Eisav providing the physical needs for both of them, and Yaakov focusing on the family’s spiritual mission. Rivka knew that Eisav would not share his material wealth with Yaakov, so instructed Yaakov to “steal” the blessing so that the spiritual mission could be supported. Eisav was upset that he lost the blessing, not because he was now excluded from the family’s holy mission, but because he wanted the material success the blessing would bring.

Eisav had agreed to give his birthright to Yaakov in exchange for the food Yaakov was cooking, but Eisav never agreed to let Yaakov take their father’s blessing, nor had he ever agreed to no longer be part of the family’s mission. Yaakov therefore offered Eisav to “take my blessing,” i.e. reclaim the role that Yitzchok had wanted him to have. Aside from now giving Eisav the choice to either be part of the mission or to exclude himself from it, seeing that Yaakov had more than enough for himself (as evidenced by the size of the gift he was able to offer Eisav while still retaining vast wealth for himself) might convince Eisav that his physical wants and needs wouldn’t suffer even if he took back the blessing and took on the responsibility of supporting Yaakov. On the other hand, Eisav was also able to see that he didn’t need the blessing Yaakov had taken in order to be fabulously wealthy (see 33:9), so could decide whether or not to partner with Yaakov based on the value he placed on the mission rather than on what he stands to gain from it.

Giving Eisav a chance to consider “taking the blessing,” i.e. partner with Yaakov by supporting him, may have been appropriate and praiseworthy, but it also put Eisav on the spot. How could he say “no” to Yaakov’s offer even if he really didn’t want to? By asking Eisav to accept his gift twice, in rapid succession, using the word “blessing” the second time, Yaakov was couching his offer in a way that allowed Eisav to save face, as turning it down would not be an explicit rejection of the family’s mission (since the word “blessing” could also refer to the gift). For this reason, the first part, where Yaakov calls it a “mincha” (which can only refer to the gift), includes the expression “from my hand,” since the physical gift would be transferred from Yaakov’s possession to Eisav’s, and includes the comparison to a vassal king paying tribute to the king he is subservient to. [From this perspective, the second part would read “take now my blessing,” since it was a one time offer (“now”); Eisav wouldn’t be able to change his mind later.]

Yaakov may have included more than two concurrent messages in mind when he asked Eisav to “take his blessing.” Not only was he offering a physical gift, with no spiritual strings attached (which Eisav finally accepted) and the opportunity to become his spiritual partner, by accepting the role their father had envisioned for him (which he did not accept), but Yaakov also referred to the physical gift as a “blessing” to make a point.

Often, Eisav saying he has “much” (33:9) is contrasted with Yaakov saying he has “everything” (33:11) to indicate that despite how much Eisav had, he was never satisfied and always wanted more, while Yaakov was satisfied with whatever he had. However, Rashi (33:11) says that Eisav was saying that he had more than he needed (so had no need for Yaakov’s gift). After hearing that Eisav was no longer concerned that not getting Yitzchok’s blessing meant not being rich enough (since he turned down the gift because he was already “too” rich), Yaakov referred to his own wealth as his “blessing” and added that he “has whatever he needs,” as the blessing was only meant to provide what was needed, not overabundant wealth. [This is why Yaakov went back for the “small vessels” (see Rashi on 32:25), as whatever G-d blessed him with must have a spiritual purpose.] By telling Eisav that his material possessions came from the blessing designed to support the spiritual mission, as opposed to what Eisav had, he was pointing out that, from a purely material standpoint, Eisav had it better. Rather than making things worse, by referring to it as “his blessing” Yaakov was telling Eisav that he (Eisav) was better off (from his perspective) without it.

This would also explain why Yaakov waited until the second part, where he referred to it as “his blessing,” before responding to Eisav’s “I have much” with “I have everything.” It would also mean that Yaakov was asking him to “please take my blessing,” since he has no use for it (as opposed to “take my blessing now”). However, we would need to understand how Yaakov could have so much extra to give to Eisav if the blessing only provided what was needed. [Rabbeinu Efrayim, who explains Yaakov’s use of the word “blessing” as referring to the wealth he accumulated because of Yitzchok’s blessing, wonders whether Yaakov was punished for giving some of it away.] One possibility is that it really wasn’t “extra,” and Yaakov really needed it for himself. He may have stopped in Succos for a year and a half before returning home (33:17) in order to rebuild the lost flocks that he gave to Eisav since he really needed them to accomplish his spiritual mission. Another possibility is that until Eisav turned down Yaakov’s offer to become his partner, the blessing provided enough for both (with Yaakov therefore offering Eisav whatever he didn’t need, as that would have been his share); it was only after Eisav officially turned down Yaakov’s offer that the blessing brought only exactly what Yaakov needed.

It is also possible that the massive gift Yaakov gave Eisav wasn’t really extra at all; it was needed to help Yaakov patch up his relationship with his brother. Which gives us another reason why Yaakov would refer to it as “his blessing.” If the gift for Eisav, meant to help them reconcile, was included in what G-d gave Yaakov for his spiritual needs, then getting along with his brother must be something G-d really wanted.