Yitzchak's long shadow

This write up attempts to explain the seemingly incongruent placement of Yitzchaks death which does not seem to conform with the Torahs usual methodology

The Torah, when talking about how Yaakov finally returns to Chevron—the city of his father and grandfather—feels the need to let us know that Yitzchak was still among the living and that he dies only after Yaakov returns home to him (Bereishis 35:27-29).

Ramban points out (ibid 28) that record of Yitzchaks death should have come at the end of Toldos, as the Torah usually wraps up someone’s life—notwithstanding that they’re still alive—and moves onto the next generation if there isn't anything noteworthy that still needs to be written about that person—see there his explanation.

I’d like to suggest the following:

Earlier, when Yaakov makes off with the brachos, the Torah records Eisav as thinking that (ibid 27:41) יִקְרְבוּ יְמֵי אֵבֶל אָבִי וְאַהַרְגָה אֶת יַעֲקֹב אָחִי. In other words, despite how much he reviled Yaakov he wasn’t willing to aggrieve his father by killing him in his lifetime.

It can very well be that what enabled Yaakov to survive Eisavs wrath was their father living into ripe old age thus delaying Eisavs revenge and allowing him to calm (see Rashbam [32:7] and R Avraham ibn Ezra [peirush shlishi 33:6] that Eisav wasn’t coming to harm Yaakov, with the latter bringing proof from the fact that Yitzchak was still alive) 

It turns out that Yitzchak ended up playing a very large role—albeit passively via his longevity—in Yaakov and his childrens lives. 

It therefore makes good sense for the Torah to record his death specifically then—after Yaakovs safe return home—as it was only at that point, with Eisav no longer a threat, that Yitzchaks life is no longer significant to the reader, and the Torah can move on to the story of Yosef, despite Yitzchak living for many more years, as is the Torahs custom. 

Perhaps this too explains why the pasuk says (35:27) that he returned to his father with no mention of his mother Rivkah which may have been part of what led Chazal to posit that she had died at Alon Bachus as it was specifically his father Yitzchaks longevity that enabled Yaakovs safe return home as Yitzchak and Eisav were very close and it was only his father's potential anguish that stayed his hand and not his mother Rivkah who was better disposed to Yaakov.

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