The Man With No Appetite
Joe and Mike sat back after a good meal—the kind that makes a man loosen his belt and contemplate a nap. Joe sighed and shook his head.
“You know,” he said, “from the way I ate today, I can tell that I’m not in the best of health.”
Mike looked at him, baffled. “What are you talking about? You sampled everything on the table. If there was a contest for enthusiastic eating, you’d have taken first place.”
Joe waved a hand. “Exactly. I wasn’t really hungry. I had to force myself to taste the delicious food to awaken my appetite.”
Isaac's Request
Isaac had misgivings about blessing his son Esau. He knew his son well—his strength, his skill, his devotion in certain areas. But he also knew that Esau was not what he pretended to be. Isaac’s heart wavered.
And so he asked for something simple: “Bring me a tasty dish, the way I like it.” But beneath the request lay something deeper. Isaac wanted Esau to come before him not just as a son, but as a son fulfilling a mitzvah. Honoring one’s parents was Esau’s great merit, his spiritual strength. Perhaps, through this act, the blessing would feel more right, more deserved. “Then,” Isaac said, “my soul will bless you before I die.” His blessing would come from the depths of his being.
Rebecca, listening nearby, understood what lay beneath her husband’s request—the unspoken hesitation, the misgivings. When she called Jacob, Rebecca told Jacob about Isaac’s request for venison, thus revealing that his father had reservations about blessing Esau.
(Adapted from Meshalim Ve-gam Sipurim, p. 48)
