In this week’s Torah portion, Toldot (Genesis 25:19–28:9), ends with Jacob swindling his brother Esau out of Isaac’s blessing that was meant to be given to the firstborn.

During a recent lecture, prominent YY Jacobson reveals how Isaac prophesied Jesus notoriety using well-known Torah commentator and Italian rabbi Rabbi Moshe David Voli as a source.

Jacob, at the suggestion of his mother, disguises himself as Esau causing Isaac to inadvertently bless his second-born son instead. When Esau arrives, Isaac subsequently informs him that he has given all his blessings to Jacob with nothing left over for Esau:

Yitzchak answered, saying to Esau, “But I have made him master over you: I have given him all his brothers for servants and sustained him with grain and wine. What, then, can I still do for you, my son?” (Genesis 27:37)

At this point, Esau begs his father for a blessing:

And Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, Father? Bless me too, Father!” And Esau wept aloud. (Genesis 27:38)

At this point, Isaac gives Esau several blessings including that he will enjoy the “fat of the earth and the dew of the heaven above.”

Part of Isaac’s blessing is that he will be the ‘servant of his brother’:

Yet by your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; But when you grow restive, You shall break his yoke from your neck.” (Genesis 27:40)

According to rabbi YY Jacobson quoting the Jewish sages (chazal) Eisav is the forebearer of Edom, who is the “father of Rome”, which eventually evolved into Christianity. The ‘brother’ that Esau will serve is Jesus. that’s because Jesus was a Jew, therefore the descendant of Jacob and Christians ‘serve’ him the same way Jews serve God.

“Yitzchak (Isaac) was talking about an extraordinary phem=nomenon in history that will change history completely” rabbi Jacobson explains. calling it “a prophetic vision of how history is going to develop.”

Citing Rabbi Voli, the Edomites, who later became the Romans, will look for someone to worship.  In hebrew, the word used in the passage (תַּעֲבֹד) has a double meaning. It could mean to serve but it can also mean to ‘worship’ and is commonly used in Judaism as a verb for worshipping God.

The rabbi notes that although the Romans initially rejected Christianity, Constantine eventually accepted it upon rising to power.