I had this weird thought last night- Hairy VS Smooth

Lulav

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Having a horrible time going to sleep as I was in much pain yesterday and feel asleep around 8 pm then woke up, and fell asleep again and then got up a 2am and couldn't get back to sleep until around 8 this morning. My mind wouldn't shut off and all kinds of thoughts were flitting through my head, mostly about my business and projects but there were other things too.

One I remember was about Jacob. I guess I got to thinking about my father whom I haven't seen in almost 30 years, because my anniversary was yesterday and my father in law died just a little over a day later after we got married. So just to give you a trail there. :)

Anyway, I got to thinking that Rebbecca had two children in her womb. Two nations the L-rD told her. Two totally different men.

One was red and hairy

and the other

was smooth.

I've always loved studying genetics and still do.

So, whose side do you think Esau took after

and

whose side did Jacob take after?

Who passed down the hairy gene?

Issac or Rebekkah?

They both come from the same family line from Terah

And what is the meaning of recording this in the story? Smooth vs Hairy? What is the significance?


And what is the significance that Rebekkah used goat skins (not lamb) on Jacob to make Isaac think it was Esau?

It says he did not have hairy hands ( I will assume this means the whole arm), and neck, meaning he didn't have a beard.

Eliyahu was said to also be a hairy man in 2 kings 1
 

johnd

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The passage is on the surface is only about the physical / individual distinctions between the two which were blind Isaac's only way to distinguish between the two once the voice recognition was in question.

There is a mystical interpretation here underlying the superficial.

I try to refrain from mystical things in public since most do not distinguish between the extreme abuse of mysticism and the practical use of it... as in this case the hairy versus the smooth ;).
 
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johnd

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Isaac = Sanhedrin (official Judaism)
Rebbecca = Messianic Judaism
Jacob = Messiah
Esau = false messiah

Jacob was the choice of God. Esau was the choice of Isaac... even though the birth rite was purchased by Jacob... Isaac and Esau conspired to steal it away from Jacob.

Rebbecca was God's messenger for Jacob to keep the birth he purchased. Isaac was clueless. He didn't know one from the other and went ahead with his blessing anyway.
 
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zaksmummy

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I love genetics too, but I have no answer to your question. Just a little something to share.

I was watching a programme once about Native Americans (I find their culture fascinating, brought on by too many westerns when I was a kid). Some of their people had gone to Wales (I was born in Wales) to discuss the development of language because in the 19th centuary a Welshman had gone to the plains and studied, and eventually became part of one of the tribes. Some welsh words then became part of their language. Anyway to get to the point, the Native Americans in this programme said that even today descendants of this man had green eyes, sometimes it skipped a generation, but then it would resurface in the next.

That got me thinking about your question, you would have to find out the physical description of their grandparents and great grandparents to really get to the bottom of your question.

.
 
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ChavaK

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Another interesting thing about genetics. AFAIK Esau and King David
are the only red heads in the Tanach. How did that happen, given
that the semitic people at the time almost assuredly had black/dark
brown hair?
 
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Wags

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The cattle bred (Irish Dexter) that I have come in three colors - black, red and dun (brown). Black is the dominant color but two blacks can produce a red or dun, if both parents have a hidden red or dun gene. If you want to see the possible combos check out this color genetics chart.

I'd guess that would be the case with human hair color as well. To get red probably both Issac and Rebekah carried a recessive red gene. Their offspring would either be red-heads or carry a recessive red gene as well. Given the common practice of marrying into family lines and there were probably quite a number or red heads in the family tree.
 
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Lulav

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You all have some interesting thoughts on the matter. And things such as I've wondered about myself too, such as King David being a red head. Is there a connection to Adom? Was he a true red head or was it some allegorical reference to the blood on him?

And speaking of genetics, there's always that interesting husbandry of Jacob's. :)
 
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