The Spectacle in Rome

There was a custom in Rome that every seventy years they took a healthy man and had him ride on a cripple, both of them wearing the garments of Adam. The healthy man was masked with the skin of Rebbi Yishmael's face and adorned with precious jewels. The two men were led through the city, and the Romans would declare, “This is the story of our ancestors. The cripple is Yaakov and the healthy man is Eisav. See how Eisav is on top of Yaakov. This is a sign that Eisav dominates Yaakov, and that the blessings Yaakov received through trickery did not help.” Rav Ashi says that they actually said the opposite of what they meant to say. People came from far and wide to see the spectacle.