I appreciate Dave’s beautiful remarks in his comments on my “Isaac’s Blessing” post. His deep penetration of the mystery of the incarnation is worthy of the Fathers of the Church. But his remarks on Esau’s manhood as strong, sensual, aggressive and the goat skin gear that Jacob puts on to feel like him and the used personal clothing he puts on to smell like him set me thinking. The disguise, Dave says, puts on the physical aspects associated with the powerful and masculine. I felt for a moment that this was the key I have long been looking for.
Those of us who get a sexual, masculinity, kick out of putting on and seeing others in denim, leather, dirty work clothes, are all about this aspect of putting on the powerful, aggressive, rugged characteristics of the male. Some of us are wired into those more than others, as part of our being hot-wired to masculinity in general. It’s all good: contrary to what we might have learned from our church upbringing that it was all wrong and odd to feel like that. So Rebekah dressed Jacob in goatskin leather and used work gear to make him look and feel like his more macho brother. Nice to be able to ground your fetish interests in the Bible!
