תולדות-Rivka and Yaakov's Sting Operation

How old were the twins, Esav and Yaakov, when the transaction over the בכורה took place? If we rely on Rashi's commentary that Yaakov made the lentil soup (נזיד עדשים) in honor of Avraham's funeral, then the twins were 15 years old. The math is simple: Avraham was 175 when he died. The Midrash believes that 5 years were cut out of Avraham's life span in order to spare him the agony of seeing how badly Esav turned out, since Hashem promised Avraham that he would die בשיבה טובה. Since Yitzchak got married when he was 40, and had to wait 20 years before Rivka gave birth, he was 60 when the twins were born. And since Avraham was 100 years old when Yitzchak was born, 175-(100+60)=15. Now imagine a 15 year old boy who is already proficient in the art of killing and hunting. So much to the point as to lend to the boy such a cynical outlook on life, that he would tell his brother that his days are numbered due to his occupation (Even Ezra 25, 32) and why do I need the בכורה. This shows us the extent of Esav's criminal mind.

Yet Yitzchak was fooled by Esav, who pulled a con job on his father. With his trick questions, Yitzchak thought Esav to be a righteous person. Rivka was not fooled, perhaps because she grew up in a house of liars, and had a brother who was perhaps the most treacherous swindler of them all, Lavan. And since Rivka was told in her pregnancy that one of the boys is a tsadik while the second is an evil person, she had no problem determining which was which.

Yitzchak remained fooled until his dying day, as he called Esav to bestow the blessings upon him believing that he is deserved of the blessings. Rivka reacts to this with a huge con job of her own. Dress up Yaakov in Esav's clothes and outswindle the swindler. Yaakov at first is reluctant to take part in such a devious operation. But staid persuasion and coaxing on Rivka's part gave Yaakov the courage he needed to lie to his father and take the brachot which were legitimately his away from Esav's grasp. It is interesting to note Rashi's commentary at the beginning of the parsha on the words איש תם. One who is not clever enough to cheat is deemed innocent (מי שאינו חריף לרמות קרוי תם). Yaakov was indeed too innocent a person to practice in the art of deception, but when the future of Bnei Yisrael was at stake, and when his brother Esav tried to steal what was not rightfully his, Yaakov outsmarted him with some trickery of his own.