“Yaakov said to his father ‘It is I Eisav your firstborn I have done as you asked. Sit up and eat the game I trapped so that your soul will blessme.’ … ‘How did you find it so quickly my son?’ asked Yitzchak. ‘Hashem your L-rd was with me.’ …

“Yaakov came closer to his father Yitzchak and [Yitzchak] touched him. He said ‘The voice is Yaakov’s voice but the hands are the hands of Eisav.” (Bereishis 27:19–22)

Yitzchak asked Yaakov to approach him so that he could feel him. Rashi explains “Yitzchak said in his heart ‘It is not Eisav’s way to mention the Name of Hashem but this person said ‘For Hashem your G-d caused it to happen before me.’$$separatequotes$$”

When Yaakov Avinu spoke his “voice” spoke of Hashem’s Oneness of Torah study of respect and derech eretz all of which share the same foundation. The path to recognizing Hashem’s Oneness and always remembering Him is through having proper character traits and conducting oneself in a way that is truly admirable. (Hamaor ShebaTorah Rav Shalom Shapiro ztz”l) 

As a young girl I used to babysit for a young woman married to a kollel yungerman. She had a secondhand sofa and a bookcase without glass doors but there was something about her that gave a special shine to the entire house. It was as if she’d been born in a palace and had never left.

She had normal children who sometimes woke up or cried; some nights I had to call her urgently to come home. But she always came home with a smile and embraced the crying child who’d caused her to leave in the middle of a wedding. She’d whisper soothing words in the child’s ear. Sometimes something would go wrong at the last minute but it didn’t faze her. She apologized pleasantly. She didn’t blame the children grumble or complain. She’d comment that what Hashem wants is always for the best. And when it came from her it wasn’t simply a pale repetition of the worn familiar statement. It came from someplace clearly genuine and true.

Many years later I found out that she comes from a distinguished family and her husband became a famous rav. How fitting I thought for her to be a rebbetzin. For she was my first encounter with the power of speech.

Her voice was the voice of Yaakov.

It was the voice which revealed it was Yaakov speaking despite the clothes the goat skins on his arms the lavish meal. Yaakov spoke with derech eretz. Yaakov was refined. It was Yaakov who mentioned Hashem’s Name and who gave thanks to Him.

We spend most of the day using the nine measures of speech given to women. This affords us a tremendous opportunity to bring the voice of Yaakov into our homes. “Thank you my sweet girl; you are incredible.” “Thank you my good boy for running that errand.” “I must see the room you cleaned so beautifully.” “Just listening to you learning this warms my heart.”

Instead of dismissing a child with a peremptory command to go to sleep we can say it in a more pleasant way: “Let me give you one last tight hug before you go to sleep.”

Does it cost us anything? Does it require us to expend precious resources? Why not give the gift which requires not a penny from us yet bestows so much?

In this era of digital communication our speech has become rough cynical lacking in sincerity filled with criticism. In this generation we sorely need ample quantities of pleasant words. We need rivers of pure innocent speech.

“Baruch Hashem! Look what wonderful fruits Hashem created.” “Children come hear about the Hashgachah pratis I had on the bus!” And “It’s no big deal. We believe that everything is for the best and there must be something even better waiting for us.” And “Come let us say a perek of Tehillim for Chani; she’s studying for a difficult test.”

It might sound naïve unsophisticated and even artificial but it isn’t. When there’s so much voice of Eisav to struggle against outside let’s make every effort to only bring the voice of Yaakov inside our homes.