The Midrash (Pesichta Eicha Rabasi) teaches, “As long as the voice of Yaakov is heard in the shuls and houses of study, then the hands are not the hands of Eisav.” (Eisav’s hands have no power to hurt Yaakov.) Whenever the sound of Yaakov’s voice is not heard in shuls and batei medrash, then the hands are those of Eisav. (His destructive hands prevail.) Horav Avraham, zl, brother of the Gaon, zl, m’Vilna, asks (Maalos HaTorah), the pasuk seems to imply the opposite of what Chazal are teaching. The Torah says clearly that the voice is that of Yaakov – the hands are those of Eisav. This suggests that (specifically), when the voice of Yaakov is heard in the bais ha’medrash, then the hands of Eisav dominate.
He explains that the pasuk concludes, vayivarcheihu, and he blessed him (Yaakov). The Torah does not indicate the text of this blessing. Thus, we must say that, ha’kol kol Yaakov, v’hayadayim yedei Eisav, in in fact a blessing. What kind of blessing is it? The Midrash replies that, when Yaakov is davening and learning, when his spiritual presence is evident, then even his hands are as strong as those of Eisav! In other words, when we adhere to our spiritual obligations – Eisav is powerless because we are not only spiritually strong, but we are also physically powerful. When we learn Torah and daven as a Jew should daven, then Eisav has met his match. When our spiritual activity falls short of our obligations, we are concomitantly weakened physically.
We are still left with one question which begs elucidation. Why did Yitzchak give such a blessing to Yaakov? His other blessings were not based on contingencies. Why not give him a straightforward blessing, without any conditions? Horav Tzvi Meir Bergman, Shlita, explains that Yitzchak was in a quandary concerning the person who stood before him: Was he Eisav or Yaakov? Thus, the blessing that he issued was generic and endemic to the person who stood before him: one who possessed Yaakov’s voice and Eisav’s hands. Yaakov understood this. Therefore, he grabbed the opportunity to obtain this blessing, which covered “all bases.” As a result, the b’rachah which granted the “hands of Eisav” applied only under such circumstances that the voice was the “voice of Yaakov.” In conclusion, if Yaakov seeks to withstand Eisav, if he wants to have the “hands of Eisav” to protect and overpower Eisav, it is critical that the voice of Yaakov be strong and unimpeded.
